The Sword Sage
by AssassinUzumaki
Summary: Naruto was ignored by his parents for his Jinchūriki siblings while he held the soul of the beast. After learning about the samurai through a book, he decided to live the life like one. His legend became known throughout the world as the man who painted the moon red. NarutoXRuroni Kenshin, slight Bleach and Beelzebub Xover
1. Chapter 1

**"** Hello" - Human Talk

" **Hello** " - Bijuu/Summon Talk

' Hello' - Human Thought

' **Hello** ' - Bijuu/Summon Thought

 **Chapter 1**

 **Early life and Samurai Code**

On the outside, Namikaze family was perfect. They had Namikaze Minato, The Yondaime Hokage of Konoha as the father who was also the strongest shinobi in the village and the fastest one in the whole Elemental Nations, the mother was Namikaze-Uzumaki Kushina who was one of the strongest kunoichi in the Elemental Nations and their children Namikaze Tomoe and Namikaze Mito who were the jinchuuriki heroes of Konoha. All in all, it was a perfect family. No one could have guessed that they had another child by the name of Namikaze Naruto, the eldest of the Namikaze children.

Naruto was very different from any other child. Even though he had parents, he grew up like an orphan because no one cared for him. His godparents who were two of the Sannin brushed him aside for his younger siblings, his parents doted on his sibling, the village always held his siblings in a higher regard than him. Basically he was treated like an unwanted orphan even with the whole village practically worshiping his family. His parents didn't even bother to start his training. The only good thing his father did for him was to keep the knowledge of him being the container of Kyuubi s soul a secret from the villagers. This treatment caused a lot of damage to Naruto as he stopped being a bright and happy child at just three years of age, stopped asking anything from his parents at the age of five, stopped trusting his parents and other people close to his family at the age of seven and stopped trusting or depending on anyone by the age of nine. The only person he even cared about was not exactly a person but rather the soul of Kyuubi who was like a surrogate father to him. One may ask, why is a child was more at ease with the soul of a demon than other human beings, a demon who was well-known for his malice and hate. The thing was that Kyuubi was made from the hate of Juubi by Rikudou Sennin and this hate affected him due to his chakra. The other bijuu were also made by the chakra associated with different emotions of Juubi, hence when the chakra was removed from the Kyuubi, his hate and malice vanished but his knowledge and personality remained. Right now, Naruto at the age of nine and a half was watching his parents train his siblings in their styles as he just looked dispassionately. Even after all his suffering and loneliness in his life due to his neglect, he did not hate anyone in the village but this sucked out every emotion from his life, he stopped feeling jealousy, sadness, anger, happiness or even love. No matter what he did .or tried to do, he could not feel a single shred of love for anyone, be it his parents, siblings people around him or even the village itself. He could not feel any loyalty as there was nothing the village did for him. Even Kyuubi felt this as slowly, most of his emotions disappeared from him. Since his parents were not training or doing anything with him, he started looking for other ways to train. He could not train in Taijutsu as he did not have any instruction; neither could he train in Ninjutsu of Genjutsu as he did not know how to use chakra yet. The only thing he knew was Fuinnjutsu, which was quite limited despite his talent in the field. Without any instruction, Naruto reached level three in sealing arts by just reading books. He did not even know if he would be going to the Ninja Academy or not. As he scoured through the library, he saw a book on samurai. Since he had nothing to do, he begun to read.

He was so engrossed that he could not even tell the time. He learned about the history of the samurai, their code of living, their specialty in Kenjutsu and their beliefs. The section that got his attention the most was the section on Kenjutsu and its description including its types like Battoujutsu which was rare in Elemental Nations. Most of the people, even samurai used iaijutsu rather than traditional battoujutsu. He also learned how other weapons like naginata, katana, tanto were some of the most preferred weapons and how samurais create their own styles for their weapons. For the first time in his life, he felt hope which crashed because he knew his parents will never buy him any weapons, let alone a katana. He had seen his mother use a katana and wanted to learn but she never taught him, just his younger siblings. As he felt despair rising which was actually something he felt a lot before his emotions got lost, he heard a voice which associated with Kyuubi.

" **Kit, you should not feel sad just because your parents are worthless, now what got my favorite kit so sad. Tell me and I, the smartest being in existence shall give you my wisdom** ", came the cheery voice of Kyuubi.

"I just read a book on samurai and Kenjutsu attracted my attention, but I know that my parents will never get me a sword. How can I become strong if I cannot even practice the one thing I want the most. I wish to create a style which is unmatched, no I want to create two unmatched styles yet I cannot do so. Do you have any idea on how to solve this problem, unmatched being of wisdom. , replied Naruto in a monotone which made the Kyuubi sigh.

" **Kit, before you even create a style, you must practice how to handle a sword. But you cannot practice that with a sword right off the bat, you must first use a bokken and it can is used by budding Kenjutsu professionals when they are learning. Also I have a way by which you may get a sword but also a loyal friend who will always help you and be with you. You remember the thing about how a samurai s sword always remains loyal to him. That was how the samurais of the past worked. The ones who served lords have their sword to make them remember that they served a lord and the sword, which was provided by the lord based on the skill displayed by the samurai was not an instrument to kill but rather and instrument to serve. The ronin on the other hand stayed true to only themselves and their swords. They believed that a samurai does not need a lord as long as he has loyalty to someone and the samurai code. They served people but their loyalty was to peace because the samurai are killers but rather peacekeepers. There were also some samurai who were loyal to their sword and believed that they might be the keepers of peace but the sword is the hand of god. They used their skill to punish the evil and protect the weak. These were like ronin but they were not afraid to spill blood.** "lectured the giant fox soul.

"That was a good history lesson but how does that help me get stronger." , Naruto said this in the same tone but with a hint of irritation which was the only hint of emotion he showed in a long time.

" **Go to the sections of swords and wood and fashion a bokken from the tree I tell you. I will teach you on how to unlock your chakra as well as, how to use both yin and yang chakra tonight. As for a real katana, you will learn that when the time is right for you to use a katana. And if you succeed in handling the bokken and being able to create a style, I will help you in getting a special sword which will put even the Kiri swords or the samurai swords of Tetsu no kuni to shame. This is a promise**." Kyuubi replied.

With that Naruto quickly went to the sections of library which dealt with carving, swords, and the way by which wooden items were made. He found a book about the wooden equipment needed by a ninja and he found the correct procedure of making a bokken in a book. He quickly memorized the whole segment, which was easy due to him having a photographic memory and started moving towards the forests of Konoha which were rich in trees

. Reaching there, he suddenly heard Kyuubi s voice." **Kit, you will need to use the tree which is about 30 meters away and smells like rose, it has the toughest wood when compared to different types of trees. It also has a dark reddish colored wood which is easy to recognize. Mark this tree and start making the bokken, but wait for three days to start, till then, use a kunai to cut a tree which has a very pale colored wood as it is very soft. We will use this pale colored to make a practice bokken and make sure that the measurements are right before making the actual bokken from this tree.** " Quickly marking the tree, he washed his hands and went home so that he can sleep and learn how to unlock his chakra from Kyuubi.

 **At Namikaze Home**

As Naruto entered his home, he saw that his siblings had completed the training for the day and they were eating ramen now. There was a time when this scene caused feelings of sadness and jealousy to rise in his heart but now, he felt as if his heart was cold. Then he thought,'I got inspired by the samurai and I already feel detached from my family, well, I was always neglected but now I feel no love. Now even looking at them makes them as valuable as any other human being. I guess, this is the attitude of the samurai who serve the sword, a samurai who must not distinguish between duty and family. Whose honor as a swordsman and a human being makes them ideal. Ninja are hired thugs, who will serve the client rather than the people who need their skills and protection. You can no longer play favourites in the path of peace, the enemies of peace must be punished and the innocent people must be protected. Even if you are related by blood, a true samurai must not favor anyone. If the Elemental Nations cannot learn the value of peace, then I will change the world with my sword.' In his mind, the soul of Kyuubi smiled in pride at the thoughts of his container. While he was recovering his power, he did not have much of his youkai. His newly gained youkai was free from the taint of Juubi hence it will not change him. He went to rest while thinking about a gift which would help the kit.

His family looked so perfect from his viewpoint that he saw no reason to include himself in this scene, hence he quickly hid behind the door to listen in the conversation.

Tomoe groaned, he was able to complete the physical exercises and chakra control exercise which was tree climbing. As a result, he was very tired. The same could be said about his sister Mito. While both were dead-tired, they were happy with the praise they received for their training. As Tomoe thought about his family, his mind drifted towards his elder brother. While he cared for his brother, he was unable to think of him as someone he could look up to. His elder brother was weak and thus did not deserve the same amount of respect as any other elder brother. Similar thoughts were going through Mito s mind.

Kushina attracted their attention by clanking her bowl with the chopsticks and said,"Yosh! Today was fruitful, Tomoe nearly completed the tree walking exercise and Mito was able to get the basics of water walking down. If you both are able to complete the exercises by the end of the week, I will teach you the basic jutsu."

With this, the twins nodded excitedly and the family went back to their meal, completely forgetting about the fifth member who was now going back to his room. As he was going towards his room, he took one more look at his family, a family which did not even spare him a second glance. The family may look like a family full of light and goodness,but they will have to conform to the winds of change, or else, they will be snapped.


	2. Chapter 2

**"** Hello" - Human Talk

" **Hello** " - Bijuu/Summon Talk

' Hello' - Human Thought

' **Hello** ' - Bijuu/Summon Thought

Chapter 2

The Nature of Wind

When Naruto woke up inside his mindscape, he was met by a dark, gloomy and cold atmosphere which can be associated with a large cave. A child should never have a mindscape like this, but Naruto was not a normal child. He quickly navigated the cave and reached the cage of Kyuubi's soul. He knew that today, he will not only unlock his chakra, but also try his hand at making a soft bokken for the first time.

"So Kyuubi, you said something about how chakra works. Isn't chakra simply the energy used for Ninjutsu and other ninja arts?" asked Naruto

" **Chakra is much more than simply the energy to use Ninjutsu. When Rikudou Sennin was still alive, he could do anything with chakra. I saw him move mountains, create meteors and moon, create something out of nothing and even create life. What ninja do now is nothing but simply using the techniques he created for a goal opposite to his. Now chakra is a weapon rather than a tool for peace.** " snarled Kyuubi.

Naruto meanwhile, was in shock. The person Kyuubi just described was like a god, to be able to do such feats with just chakra was unheard of. He was lost in thought when Kyuubi said something that shocked him," **You will also be able to do some feats similar to him if you train in using yin and yang chakra. The reason why the tools created by Rikudou Sennin are so great and powerful is that he did not use a material or forge to make his sword and other weapons. He created his tools by a technique called Banbutsu Sōzō (Creation of all things) which is a yin-yang release technique. Rikudou Sennin could use this technique because of his Dōjutsu called Rinnegan.** "

"But I don't have Rinnegan, how will I use yin-yang release? I doubt anyone could use it now. "asked Naruto. His mood went down because of it. How can he use something which he didn't have.

" **Kit, everyone has yin and yang chakra. It is a reason why anyone with proper training can utilize it. Also, it can take a few years to master yin-yang release if you want to use** **Banbutsu Sōzō. Also, I have a way which can be used to do it faster. Since mindscape is a manifestation of your mind, it can be used to affect your chakra coils. You can train in the mindscape for weeks, but only a few hours will be there in real world. You will have enough time to practice chakra.** "

Kyuubi started what Naruto had dubbed 'The Lecture Mode' and started his lecture, " **While most ninja start simply by unlocking chakra and using its mixture from the start, I follow a different method. In this method, we unlock the chakra, check the balance in yin and yang chakra which are called reiryoku and ki respectively. Based on the balance, the chakra practice is done. Most ninja say that wind, lightning and fire are offensive, water is neutral and earth is defensive. While this is true, chakra elements are not categorized like that. The elements are categorized as heavy yin, yin, yin-yang, yang, and heavy yang. Lightning is heavy yin as it requires high amount of yin chakra to have lightning as a natural affinity, fire is yang as it requires more yin but some yang chakra as fuel. Water is yang as it is material yet fluid thus it is governed by more yang for matter manipulation and little yin for matter direction, earth on the other hand requires heavy yang chakra to even mold itself. It is also the reason why there were no earth users in Uchiha clan and no pure lightning users in Senju clan. Chakra can also be conditioned for a certain element if the element is practiced before natural affinity is able to surface.**

 **This is the reason why most people in Kumo have lightning, Kiri has water, Iwa has earth, Suna has wind and Konoha has fire users. When we unlock your chakra, I will check your affinity. If it is pure wind, then you will be able to use both yin and yang chakra with equal prowess. If it is lightning or fire, your sword will be formed more easily but will not have the same power. If you have earth or water, your strong will be slightly more difficult to form but will have great power in strength. Personally, wind will be the most powerful as it is a symbol of balance. Balance is the strongest aspect. Now start meditating and try to find warmth inside you. You will know it is chakra because you will be able to feel its familiarity.** "

With that, Naruto started meditating and true to Kyuubi's prediction, he found his chakra. He pulled at it and it flew in his body like a current which gave him a rush. He sat there marveling at the feeling. It was comforting and pleasant, and calmed his mind completely. Suddenly, the voice of Kyuubi snapped his mind towards him.

" **Congratulations kit, you activated your chakra and by the look of it, it is a perfectly balanced one. You have a very potent and strong natural wind element. Now, imagine a big tree with a lot of leaves on it so that we are able to practice the first stage of wind manipulation.** " Naruto quickly imagined a tree with numerous leaves. It was the same tree, which he was to use to make a sturdy bokken. Quickly taking a leaf, he decided to work on cutting the leaf with wind chakra.

After a little while, he began to get frustrated with how slow the progress was going. Slowly a tic began to form on his forehead which started to pulse. His nerve began to twitch and he screamed in frustration.

"AAAAAH! Why is it so hard, and what is it that I am doing wrong? This is my thirteenth attempt in two hours and not even a cut has appeared on the leaf. Kyuubi what am I doing wrong." Yelled Naruto, obviously quite pissed.

" **Call me Kurama kit, for that is my name. Secondly, you are not controlling the chakra you are using. Hence change of plans, rather than cutting the leaf, try to stick the leaf on your forehead with chakra. In fact, let's play a game. If you are unable to cut a leaf in a single try, stick it on your forehead. If you have twenty leaves on your forehead, you will lose. I will give you pointers in leaf cutting I find some flaw in your method. I will also give you instruction for a certain jutsu which will help you tremendously in training. If by the end of five games, you there is no cut on the leaf, we will not practice bokken making tomorrow.** " grinned Kyuubi when Naruto paled at the thought of not practicing any aspect of Kenjutsu, even something like bokken making. With new vigor, he tried to cut the leaf when Kyuubi made a comment.

" **Kit, wind is not an element you can control like water or lightning. Wind requires movement of both matter and energy. You are not simply pulsating chakra like lightning. You are directing chakra to move the wind. If you try to force your will, you will get cut. If you simply let go, you will snap under wind's power. Channel your chakra in a way that wind moves in the direction you want on its own accord. Your chakra already resonates with wind. You simply have to guide it's movement.** " Kurama suggested.

This made Naruto's mind travel back to when he was reading science. Wind is a force created by the movement of air. Air moves because of concentration and pressure. He carefully pushed chakra at one point while pulled it at another. A small breeze blew but that was it. Yet it was a start. Sighing, Naruto carefully stuck the leaf on his forehead. They theory was simple but it was a much harder task than it looked as the leaf blew away from his head at a high speed. As he was reaching for a new leaf, Kyuubi chided.

" **I don't see a leaf on your forehead. First stick it, and then move onto the next leaf. Otherwise you will never succeed. Samurai are not just strong, they are perfectionists. They do not move forward without completing the previous assignment. So, get on with it.** " Naruto sighed again. It will be a long night for both of them. Unfortunately, for Naruto, Kyuubi did not require rest, so it was a long night for Naruto. After all what is one night for being who has lived for centuries.

 **Next Morning**

A bleary eyed Naruto woke up with a splitting headache and he felt weak like a newborn. Naruto was wondering 'Why do I feel so weak. It feels as if I was running the whole night.'

Suddenly he heard Kurama's voice," **Kit, if anyone will use the amount of chakra you used on your first day of unlocking it, they will feel the same amount of weakness you are experiencing. This is just exhaustion from using too much chakra. Now that you have unlocked your chakra, you must learn how to control it. Because of your study in Fuinnjutsu, you can write at an extremely fast rate. When your siblings go out for training today, quickly copy the instructions of Kage Bunshin no Jutsu from the Namikaze library. It will help in advancing your training. Since you have the day off, try to study. Maybe you can start on the basics of designing the Kenjutsu style, or perhaps check out some books on physical conditioning. Look for some other chakra control exercises as well. For you will need them. Medics have excellent chakra control but you can also ask some Genjutsu specialist. In other words, take the day off to think on what you should do."**

As Naruto heard it, he understood the plan. He was low on chakra and heavily exhausted. So today will be study day. He had so many things he wanted to do and the time was little. He quickly got out of his bed, took a quick bath and went into the kitchen. As he came down from his room, he found no one in the house. His parents were training his siblings in the backyard. This was the opportunity he was waiting for. He quickly fetched a blank scroll from his room and ran into the Namikaze library. After a search for about half an hour, he was able to find the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and quickly copied it down.

As he reached his room, he thought about Kenjutsu which was something he was thinking a lot about since he read the book about samurai. He had seen his mother using a katana but for some reason, he found her movements lacking and weak. She did not have the strength so she compensated it by channeling chakra through her muscles. Her movements while amazing were highly imprecise, and the grace was missing. True she used her sword in a very deadly way, but her Kenjutsu seemed wrong on so many levels. Her attack force dissipated after striking. He reviewed all the other Kenjutsu styles he had seen or heard about. While they were strong styles, they were too imprecise and the force always dissipated.

Another thing that he hated was that most Kenjutsu users concentrated on kata for the Kenjutsu style but none actually conditioned their bodies. The only person he had seen with a conditioned body was a Taijutsu specialist with a freaky fashion sense. Naruto decided that he will not use chakra to enhance his movements. His muscles were young, but even he knew how that if he does weight training right now, he will have problems later in his life. He decided that he will seek out the jounin to learn about body conditioning. With that thought, he first decided to go to the library in order to learn more about chakra control.

 **The Library**

Yūhi Kurenai was a chunnin who was a budding Genjutsu specialist. She was also one of the most beautiful women in the village. Her raven hair and wine-colored eyes were a source of daydream for many young ninja in the village. She was also very familiar with the Namikaze. As she read a book on Genjutsu in the library, the oldest of the three triplets of Namikaze family entered the library. She was quite curious which caused her to follow him. She found him sneaking in the gennin section and looking at chakra control books, basics of anatomy and finally, history and techniques of Suna. As she approached him, he noticed her and asked her in a monotone," Hello Miss Yūhi, how can I help you?"  
Kurenai was stunned at his tone. She was wondering,' How can a child have such tone. It is more suited to veteran ninja.'"I was just curious, why are you reading these books. Most children your age don't study this much."  
"I am different than any other child my age." replied Naruto in the same monotone. As he looked at her, he scowled as he recognized the woman who was closer to his mother than himself. While he was detached from his family, he didn't like the people who constantly surrounded them very much.  
"Now if you'll excuse me…" and with that, Naruto went back to his reading. Kurenai seeing him engrossed in reading quickly left. Naruto quickly checked out the books and went in search of the freaky jounin. He was ready to start exercising and conditioning his body as soon as possible. His Kenjutsu will rely on pure strength and speed, not chakra enhanced frail muscle.

A.N.- Thank you for the reviews.

I plan to give naruto an original zanpakuto rather than a previously existing one. Any ideas will be appreciated


	3. Chapter 3

**"** Hello" - Human Talk

" **Hello** " - Bijuu/Summon Talk

' Hello' - Human Thought

' **Hello** ' - Bijuu/Summon Thought

 **Chapter 3**

 **The Sword and the Soul**

 **Three years later**

The past three years were quite good for Naruto. He now wore a black hakama and a black haori (think of a shinigami hakama but with a black haori). Due to his extreme physical conditioning, he was a muscular twelve year old who was 5'9" which was quite tall for his age. His parents didn't care much about what he wore or his height but his siblings did take note. For them, he was like a puzzle but they were unable to figure him out. His physique also garnered the attention of many people, mostly civilians. He spent a lot of time with civilians helping them by doing D-rank missions. While D-ranks were given to the gennin, most of them whined a lot about doing mindless chores. So he kept asking around and did the most physically challenging tasks to condition and tone up his body. Most people did not know that such a muscular body was built by doing the ridiculous exercises of the spandex-wearing jounin Maito Gai. Naruto still remembered his first meeting with Gai three years ago.

 **Flashback**

Naruto was trying to find the green Jounin who he had seen on previous occasions. As he roamed towards the edge of Konoha, a shout which sounded suspiciously like Youth was heard. He quickly turned to see the Jounin running around the village. He knew that he will not be able to match him, so he decided to stop the Jounin for some time.

Quickly running in the path of the Jounin, Naruto yelled," Stop Jounin-san, I need to talk to you for a moment."

The Jounin quickly stopped and made a pose with a thumbs-up grinning and said in a very loud voice," WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANTED TO ASK MY YOUTHFUL FRIEND. I, MAITO GAI, THE BEAUTIFUL GREEN BEAST OF KONOHA SHALL HEL YOU."

Naruto quickly cleans his ear and asks in a monotone," Will you help me in conditioning my body. You are the one who works extremely hard, probably harder than anyone. You must know about how I should condition my body for speed and strength" at the end Naruto sounded a bit hopeful.

"THAT'S IT. THE MOST YOUTHFUL JOUNIN IN KONOHA SHALL HELP YOU FAN YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTHHHH! NOW LET'S GO, JOIN ME FOR MY MORNING RUN MY YOUTHFUL FRIEND." Yelled Gai and started running.

Naruto just knew that it was going to be a pain later on.

 **Flashback End**

While Naruto was right, the training was a pain in the ass, it worked. He could move at extremely high speed without any nasty ill effects like torn muscles, legs mangled beyond repair etc. Gai even wanted Naruto to learn Goken (Strong Fist), Naruto declined. Goken was a strong style, but it was highly yang natured. Those with firm body and strong stance can easily perform Goken, Naruto's wind natured chakra always made him look for balance. His Taijutsu must be strong like earth but flexible like water, random like lightning, yet straight like fire. That was the nature of wind. It completely coincided with his swordsmanship.

Fuinnjutsu was also an area where Naruto shone. At the age of twelve, he was a level eight seal master. It was even greater achievement as he was completely self taught. The Uzumaki affinity for seals was high in Naruto. He used many resistance seals on his body and even more on his haori. Kyuubi had recovered about seven tails of youkai back and helped in maturing his physical body faster so that he could reach is prime early. While he was physically and mentally strong, his strongest points were his chakra control and molding and his Kenjutsu. With Kyuubi's help, he was able to find the chakra creating mechanism in his mindscape and altered it to make both yin and yang chakra separately. This had a few side effects as well though none were harmful. Because of this alteration, Naruto gained two separate pools of yin and yang chakra, or as he knew them as reiryoku and ki as well as perfect control over his chakra. He still remembered when he first learned about yin and yang chakra molding by Kurama.

 **Flashback**

Naruto once again reached his mindscape for his lesson. He was told yesterday that he will be learning about ki and reiryoku molding today. He would have been lying if he said that he was not excited. Quickly reaching Kurama's cage, he called out to the fox," Yo Kurama! Where are you, it's time for the lesson."

" **Damn kit, why you are so chipper. Fine, let's get to the lesson. Now do you know any difference between yin and yang.** " came the annoyed yet wise voice of the great fox.

"Well, yang must be heavier than yin as it comes from body. Yin be used for Genjutsu and yang must be the one used for Iryojutsu (Medical Ninjutsu). I have noted the difference. When I use minor Genjutsu, chakra does not feel as heavy as when I use Mystical Palm jutsu. In fact chakra flows more easily in Genjutsu." recalled Naruto. When he used Mystical Palm Jutsu before, chakra moved slow and sluggishly. It was as if, chakra had to be pushed more than in Genjutsu where chakra moved like it was being pulled.

" **Well done kit, yes, this is a major difference in yin and yang. While yin being spiritual energy needs to be pulled or rather it pulls itself on the target rather than you pulling or pushing it. It is similar to how lightning flows on its own. Yin has an attractive effect on yin. Yang is like pushing mud through a pipe. You must use constant force. Now summon your chakra and try to sense the different energies. You can even use colors to visualize. Red for yin and blue for yang.** " instructed Kurama.

That night Naruto was able to use both yin and yang chakra to a certain degree. He was able to separate his chakra into yin and yang chakra for some time.

 **Flashback end**

Naruto's biggest improvement was in the field of Kenjutsu. It took him a month to perfectly master wind element with the help of Kurama and two hundred Kage Bunshin. At the end of three months, he was able to carve the bokken completely out of a solid wooden block with wind chakra only. Kurama said that he had to learn more about wind manipulation, but by the standard of ninja, Naruto was already a master of wind chakra. No one, even in Suna could brag about being able to carve wood or rock by the means of wind chakra. The bokken caved was a work of art. Even though it was only a bokken, it was strong and sturdy. Once he constructed his bokken, he started to practice handling a sword. It took him a month without Kage Bunshin, but he could handle a sword perfectly. Naruto had thought about showing his mother, the efforts of his hard work, but decided against it.

He had laid the framework of his Kenjutsu styles before he even made a bokken. For the first style, he thought of speed and precision as a base. He had read the exploits of his father during the Third Shinobi War. His father's speed was legendary and helped him kill a whole battalion of Iwa ninja within a matter of seconds. But he found a flaw in his work. His father used the famed Hiraishin no Jutsu to achieve this speed. Because of this, it was out of Naruto's reach. He also found his father's method ineffective. His mother on the other hand was imprecise. He had gleaned that much from his mothers Kenjutsu practice. Most of the attacks while deadly were not efficient. She used to much force and was unable to hit the exact point every time.

Based on these observations, Naruto created the forms of his first Kenjutsu style, a style so precise and fast that it had no equal. It took countless hours of study and practice but he was able to develop the style he proudly called Hiten Mitsurugi ryu (Flying Heaven Govern Sword-Style). There was only one problem with the style, but if it is removed, it was the most powerful Kenjutsu style. He used Battoujutsu as the basis due to the fast movements in Battoujutsu. The only problems left in the style were his body conditioning and his speed. But the problem of speed was solved.

His second style was based on the dissipation of attack force while a person is using it. Once again, the answer was found in Battoujutsu. He practiced the application of force on a single point in both armed and unarmed combat. This resulted in the formation of Shingetsu ryu (Heart Moon Style). The techniques in this style were so powerful, that if it was used with a real katana, it could completely obliterate a mountain. As a result, Naruto kept that style for gigantic objects and opponents like summons or constructs.

He was unable to think about what should be done about his yin chakra. Hence he started experimenting, which resulted in two speed techniques vastly superior to the normal Shunshin no jutsu (Body-Flicker technique). The first one was called Shunpo which completely outclassed Shunshin and would be on par with the Yondaime Raikage's Raiton no Yoroi (Lightning Armor). It was done by coating the soles of feet with in chakra and taking steps. It even helped him stand on air. The other technique was Sonido which allowed him to surpass the speed of Hiraishin. He was also able to become skilled medic, which was easy due to his perfect chakra control and access to pure yang chakra.

If anyone from his family had paid attention to him, they would have seen his talent in creating two powerful styles from scratch, yet they never paid attention. His relationship with his family also deteriorated and they were not even on talking terms. The village was not helping either. Other than giving him simple missions, he did not form any bonds with the village. While he did not have to hide his skill, he did not need to show it as well. This caused the villagers to think him as less talented than his siblings. This inflated the ego of his twosiblings.

The village also changes quite a bit. His two siblings along with himself were now academy students and would be graduating in about two year's time. They had taken to pranking and the village was now their playground as they played pranks on everyone. Yet they were showered with love, just like Uchiha Sasuke, the last loyal male Uchiha. About a month ago, the entire Uchiha clan was massacred by the prodigy of the clan Uchiha Itachi. Since the Sharingan was one of the most revered bloodlines, Sasuke was given love and affection by everyone. Yet he was fixated on killing his elder brother. This had completely consumed his perception. Naruto may not have felt anything of equal magnitude to Sasuke, Naruto was not naïve and was much more mature. He was hardened by the harsh realities that power was not something acquired suddenly and must be gained through hard work. In Naruto's opinion, power was simply an illusion to lure an innocent individual towards the darkness. Naruto did not possess any power, he had strength and skill which cannot be handed to someone, it must be earned on his own.

Right now, Naruto was in a faraway training ground and he was very excited. Kurama told Naruto that he will be receiving his sword today. There was a happy spring in his step. He had waited for this moment for three years. He quickly put seals around himself to make sure that no one comes to investigate his chakra discharge. Once the seals were set, Naruto sat in a lotus position and started to meditate.

Opening his eyes in front of Kurama's cage, he looked at the giant fox whom he considered as a father/big brother figure in his life. With a rare smile on his face, Naruto greeted the giant fox.

"Hello Kurama! How are you." The giant fox smirked and replied

" **Well kit, you seem awfully happy today, what's the occasion. Did you finally see how grand I am?"** teased Kurama.

"Don't mess up today Kurama, you know what is the occasion, let's get on with it." Chided Naruto.

" **Spoilsport, Ok then, let's make your sword. But first make something with your yin chakra, probably a curved dagger or something, it will give you an idea. After that you will meditate while using yin and yang chakra separately. This time, your own soul would guide you.** " explained Kurama.

Naruto concentrated for some time and when he opened his eye, there was an ivory white curved dagger lying in front of him. As he picked the dagger, he marveled at the weight and balance of this new weapon. His mystified gaze caught Kyuubi's attention. The giant beast thought,' **If simply a dagger made by conscious effort can mystify you so much, what will his reaction be at a blade made subconsciously by his soul.** '

" **Now began to meditate. Follow the same method you would use to reach the mindscape; it will take you inside your soul. Then you will have to choose which part of your soul will make the blade. Once the part of soul is chosen, start releasing your yin and yang chakra. Your soul itself will guide you in using Banbutsu Sōzō.** " Kyuubi advised.

Naruto took his meditative posture and started to concentrate on his soul. As he was meditating, the surroundings melted to form his soulscape.

 **Soulscape**

Slowly he opened his eyes. He was in a clearing under the red light of the moon….wait red? When Naruto looked up, he was able to see, but not believe. There in the sky, was a red moon. He closed his eyes and began to search his soul. He found his happiness, pride, love, compassion, and all the other emotions. Suddenly, he heard a voice telling him to open his eyes. Naruto opened his eyes and saw a tall man with ebony colored hair tied in a ponytail; his eyes were a piercing violet and an angular face. His clothes were completely black with black-bronze samurai armor adorned his body. He looked like a noble samurai when his face and clothes were seen together. He asked," What are you doing here; just choose the emotion and go. I don't have all the time in the world."

Naruto who was initially surprised at the appearance of this man got angry; after all, it is not every day that you encounter a strange man inside your soul. With a slightly cold tone Naruto asked," Who are you? And for that matter what are you doing in my soul?"

The man was annoyed," I am the guardian of this soul. Every soul has a guardian provided by Kamisama to help the soul. Most people come to their soul to use it. What will you do with this soul, hack it into pieces, destroy with heinous deeds, or poison yourself, huh?"

Naruto schooled his emotions, and answered," I came here to make a soul blade."

"You do know that you will have to choose certain emotion from all those you have, and you cannot lie here, for your soul is bare. So choose, Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto which emotions will make the blade." smirked the man. With that, the emotions in the soul started whispering and asking him to choose them. Happiness started pleading, anger started threatening, sorrow started wailing. Soon it was a cacophony and Naruto had to plug hi ears to even think clearly. Then all of a sudden, a memory came to him, the memory from three years ago. His soul started to calm and he spoke," I have chosen."

The whispering stopped and the guardian asked while smirking," So, which emotions do you choose?"

"I choose my sense of justice, my compassion for the needy, my hate for the guilty and finally my determination, so that I may never forget my path. This is my way of life, never stop, never rest, and always work for the world. This is my samurai way." replied Naruto with fire in his eyes.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Never before did I expect such a thing from a human. Humans are power-hungry, egoistical, arrogant or too loving for their own good. You sacrificed all your thoughts of personal gain. You truly are the Child of Prophecy. I am so honored to have a partner like you."

Naruto was unable to comprehend and finally asked something that has been bugging him from the start "Who are you?"

The man smiled…a true smile, not one of his infuriating smirks that he gave till now, "I am your partner, your sword, your companion and the person who will always be loyal and helpful to you. Our friendship is fated; based on mutual respect rather than any obligation."

"Don't tell me, you are…" Naruto figured out and was awed.

"Yes I am. As for my name, try to hear it clearly, it is Yamato." answered the man.

Suddenly the soulscape started to melt, and the new friends started to part away. With a quick goodbye the two friends started to part. This was a fruitful meeting for both of them. Finally, the soulscape melted and Naruto found himself back in front of Kurama's cage. Kurama was giving him a foxy grin and as Naruto looked at him Kurama said something that startled Naruto.

" **Congratulations on the sword kit, may he serve you well. It looks nice, by the way.** "

Startled, Naruto looked in front of him and there it was, the most beautiful and powerful sword he has ever seen which took his breath away. It was a katana, with an ornate bronze guard. The handle was white with black cord wrapped on it. It was sharp and he was positive that no normal sword would be able to match it. The second its handle touched Naruto's hand, the mindscape sewer walls along with the Kyuubi's cage shattered and he was in a forest with the pleasing moonlight shining on him. This was the first time Naruto cried, but anyone could see his happiness when he held the sword. Naruto ran forward and hugged Kurama's paw to show his gratitude. This was new to Kurama but he was happy that the kit was recovering his emotions.

 **The Next Day**

Naruto groaned and woke up, feeling exhausted just like when he first use chakra. He lazily woke up from the grass when he looked around. He was in the same clearing that he was in last night. Looking around he found Yamato in a black sheath. Quickly checking it, he ran in happiness, sealing Yamato in a storage seal on his wrist, he went to meet Gai for his morning run. It was not good to slack off after all

A.N.- Thank you for the reviews. I decided to give Yamato to naruto as a zanpakuto. Its abilities will be the same if slightly altered as it is not a naruto and dmc crossover.

AN2- this will not be a yaoi story. I only meant it as a crossover.

AN3- Someone suggested me to give kenshin's sakabatou to naruto andkenshin as a zanpakuto spirit. Since narutois shown as the first creator of hiten mitsurugi ryu, giving him kenshin as a zanpakuto spirit was impossible.

Thank you for your suggestions

Next chapter- The Graduation and a Traitor


	4. Chapter 4

" Hello" - Human Talk

 **" Hello" - Bijuu/Summon Talk**

' Hello' - Human Thought

 **' Hello' - Bijuu/Summon Thought**

Chapter 4

The Graduation and a Traitor

 **Ninja Academy**

Naruto was bored out of his mind. The class was a torture no matter how one looked at it. Seriously, history, arithmetic, flower pressing for girls, these were some of the most useless subjects in the academy. He knew that the quality of shinobi education had degenerated but this was ridiculous. Instead of physical conditioning, tactics, basic medic training and other stuff which could save the life of a ninja on the field, these useless subjects which had almost no use in the field. His sorely wished to burn the Academy for the torture it put him through.

" **Then why don't you do it kit.** " came the voice of Kurama.

"Huh, what do you mean by that. It is common sense why we should not destroy the only school for ninja in Konoha. It could cause a lot of problems." Naruto replied in a matter-of-factly tone.

" **What I mean is why you even stay in the village. You are already skilled enough to leave the village. Why do you stay, instead of escaping to some samurai place like a Daimyo's court, or perhaps Tetsu no Kuni? You will be almost instantly accepted. This village does not know how to accept people correctly. If that monkey you call father had released the knowledge about me being sealed in you, you would have been the center of every attack by some misguided villager hoping for revenge on Me.** " enquired Kurama.

"I happen to agree with Kurama-san Naruto. Why do you stay here? You have yet to answer this question." enquired Yamato.

"The answer is very simple…" Naruto sighed,"… I have to stay here because I don't have the experience of being in an actual fight till now. I cannot leave the village until I have an actual experience in fighting against sneaky opponents. Tetsu no Kuni, while a good place for a budding samurai, has fallen from grace. Initially, it was a hub for powerful samurai from different countries to fight and learn in order to better serve their masters. When some samurai and blacksmiths made it their home, it had budding economy which was seriously hit by the First Shinobi War. To prevent such a thing from happening, Tetsu made a pact with every other nation to not employ ninja in their ranks. They opened trade to every country on equal terms. In the Second Shinobi war, Tetsu was protected by other countries, because it became a very important trade center. It was a bonus that Tetsu does not take any ninja missions and the samurai never leave Tetsu to gain experience. This has caused a weakening of samurai in their ranks. Now the samurai can match low A-rank shinobi but anything higher will beat them. The only samurai who can match an S-rank shinobi is Mifune-sama. This is the reason why I still stay here. As a ninja, I can gain experience. This will help me when I actually leave the village on my journeys. It is also the reason why I had sent some blood clones of mine. The money we made doing D-rank missions had helped me buy some cheap properties throughout the elemental nations. According to the latest report, I have one on the outskirts of Kumo, one near Kiri, one near the fire temple in Hi no Kuni, and finally one near Suna. I can leave the second I want to, after all, my space-time Ninjutsu is much superior to Hiraishin."

Naruto in his last academy year was able to create a Space-Time technique, which he called as Garganta. With the help of Yamato and yin chakra, he was able to rip the very fabric of space and time which allowed him to teleport anyplace he had seen. Even dimensions can be crossed with this technique. Most would say that it was an inefficient technique as it did not teleport him in a blink of an eye. Well, for that, he had Shunpo and Sonido. Even after being proven countless times of his accomplishments, Naruto was still the same in his mindset.

" **But once you become a ninja of this village, you would not be allowed to leave the village and if you do, you will be marked as a missing-nin. The village will send hunter-nin after you. This would be counterproductive to your plan.** " warned Kurama with a hint of concern for the human he saw as his own kit.

"Don't worry Kurama. Young gennin pull out of ninja program quite often. And the higher ranks are allowed to retire anytime they wish. Their retirement will affect their status as a ninja and they will be civilians, but it does not affect their emancipation. They would still be considered an adult in the eyes of law. So even if I become a ninja for a small amount of time, they will never be able to keep me bound. I am too much of a free bird." replied Naruto with a minor hint of amusement.

Naruto still remembered the day he first entered the Academy. People milled around his siblings but once they thought that he was not interesting enough, they left him alone, not that it bothered Naruto much. He was not a kind of child who desired the limelight. While he was neglected and ignored for most of his life, he was not full of angst like Sasuke. He was not the light or the darkness; he was the shadow who just wanted to be left alone.

Suddenly, a commotion outside made him turn and what he saw shocked even him. His siblings apparently thought that paints and graffiti were a good way to decorate the Hokage monument. The graffiti they drew was also obscene bordering on outright vulgar. Yet, he knew that his younger siblings will never be punished for anything as long as they stayed loyal to the village. He had seen such commotions on many occasions and knew that this will result in a wild goose-chase all around Konoha. He simply palmed his face and went to take a nap. He was woken up a small time late, only to see his brother use his perverted Jutsu to give Iruka, their homeroom teacher a nosebleed which propelled him towards the blackboard knocking him out.

He once again went for a nap, wondering why he even bothered to attend the Academy. The Graduation exams were three days far and he could not wait to graduate. The Academy was such a drag…

 **Three Days Later**

Naruto was at his wits end and this troubled him greatly. For the past two years since he first attained Yamato, he found himself losing control over his emotions. He normally had a very tight hold on his emotions, yet the past two years have been taking a toll on him. He often wondered if he would lose control and hurt someone innocent by mistake, but he was reassured by Yamato that it was his purpose to help him, which made him very happy that he had such a loyal friend.

Now, he was sitting with other graduating students in his class, which included all the clan heirs. This made this year's class very special. Firstly there was the next generation of Ino-Shika-Cho trio as their children. Nara Shikamaru was just as lazy, if not lazier than his father Nara Shikaku. He was an avid practitioner of shogi, go, and other tactical games. His only bad quality was his inherent laziness which seemed to plague every Nara in existence. He wore a simple shirt with Nara clan symbol and wore his hear is a pineapple style ponytail. He was accompanied by a big boned boy who was always eating potato chips. This was Shikamaru's best friend Akimichi Choji. He had spiky brown hair with two swirls on his cheeks. He was considered fat by many people, but no one had the guts to say it to his face. It was considered a taboo to call an Akimichi fat. Then there was Yamanaka Ino, Uchiha Sasuke's top fangirl along with Haruno Sakura. She had platinum blond hair and wore purple clothes with bandages. The three of them were close due to the relations their parents had as the infamous Ino-Shika-Cho trio. They were also expected to be on the same team.

There was a boy who had a small white pup on his head. This boy was Inuzuka Kiba, the only son of Inuzuka clan head. Kiba's attire consisted of dark grayish pants reaching to his calves and a grey, hooded fur-lined coat, with the hood usually placed on his head, over an apparent plate of armor and fishnet undershirt. He was loud, brash, and arrogant without anything to back up his arrogance. Because of his animalistic nature, he often tried to prove his domination as an alpha, yet was always effortlessly defeated by his brother and Sasuke. His pup, who was named Akamaru, was one of the young ninken of the Inuzuka clan. Next to him sat Aburame Shino. Shino is a fair-skinned child and the tallest member of his graduating class. He wears a light grey high-collared jacket, and has dark, bushy, brown hair and wearing his signature round and dark glasses. His clan was famous for their use of kikachu bugs which lived inside their body. He was reserved and most people tend to avoid him for they find him creepy. Next to them was Hyuuga Hinata, heiress of the Hyuuga clan and the possessor of the famed Hyuuga Dōjutsu Byakugan. Hinata usually wears a cream-coloured hooded-jacket with a fire symbol on the upper sleeves and fur around the cuffs and hem. Along with this she wears navy blue pants. She was a good girl if a lot shy and always stuttered while talking because of her lack of confidence. She had potential but it was severely suppressed by the harsh words of her clan and her gentle nature

On the far side of the classroom, brooding near the window was Uchiha Sasuke. He wears a navy blue, short-sleeved shirt with a high collar; white shorts, and, white arm warmers. The only loyal male Uchiha left alive by his brother when he massacred his clan leaving only his mother and brother alive. He was on a dark path of an avenger, and was completely obsessed with killing his brother. He did not even care about his mother now, believing that the only goal in his life is killing Itachi. He was also the Rookie of the Year and had a big fan club, led by a pink haired girl called Sakura. She was not from a clan but her parents were shinobi of leaf. She had a violent side, but it was actually a mask to hide her insecurities about her forehead as she was teased a lot when she was younger.

Finally came his siblings, Namikaze-Uzumaki Mito, and Namikaze-Uzumaki Tomoe. Mito was almost a carbon copy of his mother with red hair and violet eyes. She wore a blue tank top with khaki pants and blue shinobi sandals. She was loud and brash, but also quite skilled and was the Kunoichi of the Year. She held the yin part of Kyuubi's Chakra. His brother Tomoe on the other hand was a carbon copy of his father with blond hair, blue eyes and three whisker marks on his face. He wore black sleeveless shirt with ANBU style pants and black shinobi sandals. His behavior was also quite similar to his father with his calm and collected nature. Both of them have been taught by the best of the village. His parents taught them Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, Senju Tsunade taught them chakra control, although they only had high Chunnin level chakra control, Jiraiya of the Sannin taught them summoning and Fuinnjutsu. This caused them to grow quite well as a shinobi. They both had high Chunnin level Taijutsu, high Chunnin to low Jounin level chakra control; level 5 Fuinnjutsu and good tactical knowledge.

Today was the Graduation exams of the academy and the two Chunnin teachers Umino Iruka and Mizuki quickly addressed the class.

"Class, today is the final Graduation test for this class, I have seen you grow as fine shinobi in training and have utter confidence that you will be able to succeed. Let's start with the weapons portion. Everyone, assemble in the training grounds, we will test your prowess in kunai and shuriken throwing." informed Iruka and everyone began to mill out of the class. Naruto was the last to go out. He was a high level swordsman, but to achieve that, he had to neglect the kunai and shuriken throwing. He was only average in those, though he could throw senbon quite well he was mediocre in kunai and shuriken. One by one, the children threw their kunai and shuriken; most clan heirs got good scores. Shikamaru got 5 in kunai and 6 in shuriken; Kiba got the same results and so did Choji. Among the girls his sister hit every projectile on the bulls-eye, Hinata was able to get similar results as Shikamaru, Ino and Sakura hit 7 kunai and 4 shuriken each. This was mostly due to their fangirlish tendencies and their lack of training. His brother was also able to hit every target, as was Sasuke. Kiba got 8 on kunai and a 6 on shuriken. When it was Naruto's turn, he got a 6 on kunai and 5 on shuriken.

This placed him somewhere in the middle of class. The next portion of the test was a Taijutsu test. The students had to survive against Mizuki-sensei for about a minute and land a punch on him. This part was quite easy for Hinata, Kiba, Sasuke and his siblings. They quickly completed this part. He noticed how Hinata deftly weaved around the hits with a grace different than any other Hyuuga he had seen. Her flexibility helped her and if she developed it in Jyuuken, she will go very far. Kiba's family specialized in tracking and Taijutsu so it was quite easy for him. Sasuke and his siblings were also quite proficient in their family Taijutsu styles so it was a cakewalk. Now it was Naruto's turn. As he stood in front of Mizuki, his Dōjutsu started acting up. Well, it wasn't a Dōjutsu per se, but rather Kurama giving him a modified version of his negative emotion sensing. This was Kurama's gift to him last year.

 **Flashback**

As Naruto made his way to his mindscape, he was confronted by Kurama. He had a smile on his face as he saw his adoptive kit, protégé and friend. In a proud voice he said

" **Kit, in the last few years, you have come very far in your training. Now that I have completely regained my power, I give you a choice. You can either have a free usage of my chakra and without the extreme hatred that came with it before, or you can have an ability which I will help you write in your genes. So choose, which one of the two do you want?** "

Naruto thought for a moment. While having Kurama's chakra could work and make him quite powerful when he was using it without any side effects, it was borrowed power. Naruto might have been joining the Academy, but he was a samurai at heart; and a samurai never depended on borrowed power. With the decision made, he faced Kurama.

"The ability; it will always bring shame to my samurai way if I depend on borrowed power. Although, what is this ability that you speak of?" enquired Naruto.

Kurama grinned and explained, " **My negative emotion sensing ability. It will help you separate the innocent and guilty. You will be able to judge the person based on the feel. In other words, you will be able to feel good and evil. No amount of deception will be able to fool your ability. Now do as I say and give me some of your yin chakra. When I return this chakra back to you, channel it into your eyes, and it will give you a few abilities. Firstly you will be immune to any Genjutsu that can mess up your mind; secondly, you will be able to find see the difference between good and evil people. It will also help you follow very high speed movement. I remember that you have some problem when you use your speed techniques.** "

In the end he received Kyuubi's ability as a Dōjutsu. He named it Hanteigan (Judgment eye), where his eyes turned golden amber colored from their original crystal blue color. (AN- Think about Kenshin's golden amber eyes when he becomes Hitokiri Battousai.)

 **Flashback End**

Quickly moving is hand towards his brow pretending to wipe sweat, Naruto used a small Genjutsu to disguise his eyes as his original blue ones and looked at Mizuki with his Hanteigan. One look at him showed exactly what kind of person Mizuki was. His soul was stained in resentment, hate and greed. He resolved to never trust him.

Mizuki wanted this match to end quickly so that he can commence his plan to steal the Forbidden Scroll of Seals. He lunged at the eldest son of Hokage but his son dodged his every attack and lunge. All the punches were either dodged or redirected, every complex Taijutsu maneuver countered. It looked like a gennin was toying with him. This drove him into rage and he increased his speed from high gennin to high Chunnin.

Naruto saw the change in Mizuki's demeanor quickly blocked a hit moving towards his head and weaved around the following axe kick. Mizuki was getting serious and he needed to end the match quickly.

 **Spectator POV**

Every other gennin and even Iruka were surprised when Mizuki blurred from his position. Ost of the gennin could not even follow him. Iruka was surprised that Mizuki would go all-out against a gennin. He moved to intervene in order to protect Naruto.

Before he could even move, Naruto blurred and appeared by Mizuki's side. Quickly tripping him, he flipped Mizuki and his fist buried in Mizuki's gut. Mizuki never felt so much pain before and quickly lost consciousness.

 **Naruto POV**

Naruto took a deep breath and stood in front of Iruka."I am sorry Iruka-sensei, Mizuki-sensei lost consciousness. It was not my intention but I simply reacted." said an apologetic Naruto.

Iruka was conflicted about what he should do. Never had he expected a student not even out of Academy completely outclassing a shinobi who had been a Chunnin. He recalled quickly Naruto reacted to Mizuki's attacks and how easily he was able to counter them. But then, he figured that Hokage-sama must have taught him and decided to continue the exam.

Next was the Ninjutsu portion where the students were to display their proficiency with the basic Academy jutsu. One by one, the students came and went with bright shining hitai-ate. The only interesting thing that happened was when his siblings showed the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu rather than Bunshin no Jutsu. When his turn came, he quickly demonstrated the required Jutsu, took his hitai-ate and left without a word. The only ones who noticed his behavior were his siblings, but did not comment. It was just the way their brother was. Even though they liked him, they did not have any respect for him. Deciding that waiting for him would yield nothing, they decide to go home and then Ichiraku's to celebrate.

 **Forest Clearing**

Naruto was practicing his katas when he felt the chakra signature of Mizuki near the forest. He knew due to his Hanteigan that Mizuki was evil. He quickly hid his chakra and followed Mizuki. Behind Mizuki was the Forbidden Scroll of Seals. This was something that made Naruto suspicious. He knew that Mizuki was evil, but a traitor, he had not figured. Naruto used his Shunpo to reach a little farther. As he was waiting and observing Mizuki, Iruka appeared and confronted Mizuki.

"Mizuki, how could you! Why would you steal the Scroll of Seals? What would you gain by betraying the village?" demanded an angry Iruka.

Mizuki gave an evil laughter and said, "What would you know Iruka? You don't know the value of power. Once this scroll is delivered to Orochimaru-sama, I will be given unimaginable power. Can you believe it Iruka, power enough to defeat the Hokage himself, but how would you know how valuable is power? You never had it and you never will, for I will kill you now."

Mizuki threw a Fuma shuriken at him, at speeds which Iruka could never hope to dodge. Naruto could not let a good man like Iruka die, so he unsealed a bokken and took out a bone-white mask with lines and wore it. He made this mask to protect his identity if he had to do something without revealing who he was (AN- It looks exactly like Ichigo's Hollow Mask, but does not give any power to him, just disguises his voice and face.) Quickly using a Shunpo to appear before Iruka who was bracing himself for incoming death, he deflected the huge shuriken with the bokken which was fortified with chakra to protect it from damage. When Iruka did not feel the pain, he opened his eyes and saw a young ANBU in front of him, wearing a strange demon like mask holding a bokken. Although it was unclear as to why he was using a bokken instead of an actual sword. The ANBU looked at Mizuki and said," Mizuki, you are under arrest for stealing important documents, attacking a fellow Nin, and treason. You can either come peacefully, or I can knock you out, since I am not allowed to kill you before interrogation."

"HAHAHAHAHAH, you will never get me that easily, after all, there is nothing a bokken will aid you against real shinobi weapons. Why would you use a bokken to capture me, afraid to use a real sword?" laughed out Mizuki.

Naruto muttered under his breath and suddenly blurred from view, and Mizuki felt extreme amount of pain. He looked down to find the bokken buried into his gut. It pierced his stomach without even having a blade and missed the vital spot.

Naruto looked at Mizuki and said," Do not worry about dying, I did not pierce any vital spot. Death is too good for a traitor. Wait here for medics and ANBU to help you, you are yet to be interrogated."

Mizuki coughed up blood and asked," Why did you not use an actual sword?"

"Scum like you do not deserve do even touch my blade, you will be executed, you do not deserve to die by my blade." said Naruto

As Iruka looked at the ANBU member, he heard the unknown ANBU say," Are you okay Iruka-san, do you need any assistance."

"Thanks for asking. You have my most grateful thanks." thanked Iruka.

Naruto smiled a little under his mask and said, "Think nothing of it Iruka-san. The ANBU are on their way, please stay here to guard the Scroll of Seals, I must go now."

With that, the strange masked ANBU quickly disappeared from view just as ANBU came into the clearing. After seeing the unconscious and bleeding traitor, the ANBU took the scroll and Iruka to see the Hokage.

 **Hokage Tower**

As Iruka finished his tale, the Yondaime, considered as the strongest and smartest ninja in the whole village was confused as he never recalled any ANBU who wore the type of mask Iruka was describing. He remembered every ANBU under the village roster yet could not recall any ANBU similar to what Iruka was describing. He must be quite strong, to be able to pierce Mizuki with a wooden sword. While he was thinking of the strange ANBU, he decided to investigate about him later; Right now it was time to celebrate his children graduating from the Academy. He quickly wrapped up the last of his paperwork and flashed home.

AN-Thank you everyone for the amazing reviews. Any other suggestions will be helpful

AN2- Naruto will leave the village after the chunnin exams. I am still not sure about who Naruto should face in chunnin exams prelims and final stage.

AN3- Next chapter: Teams, Tests and D-Ranks


	5. Chapter 5

"Hello" - Human Talk

 **"Hello" - Bijuu/Summon Talk**

'Hello' - Human Thought

' **Hello' - Bijuu/Summon Thought**

AN- I forgot to mention in the previous chapter that I do not own Naruto or Ruroni Kenshin.

Chapter 5

Teams, Tests and D-Ranks

 **Hokage Tower**

Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage of Konoha, the strongest ninja in the Elemental Nations, was very confused at the moment. He was doing his paperwork when he remembered that he had yet to decide the team placements. He was also thinking about his eldest son. As long as he remembered, his eldest was the silent one among his siblings. Tomoe had inherited his demeanor and his silent, calculative nature but even he had his moments when he showed just who his mother was. Naruto however did not show a shred of happiness in his, or even anyone else's presence. This worried him greatly as he was acting quite a lot like Orochimaru. He had seen the eyes of Naruto so he knew that he was only like Orochimaru in some aspects like his calm and reserved nature. Where Orochimaru's eyes were full of greed and malice, Naruto's eyes never had a single twinge of malice, hate or even jealousy which is present in a child to some extent. Naruto had eyes like a veteran ninja who was fully determined to even lay his life for the nation.

As he thought about the team assignments, he remembered that this year, there was one person less, so he had to look for some replacement. He looked through the list of other gennin to check who would become the final team member. He decided on the girl who had the ambition to become a great Genjutsu specialist, the heiress of the Kurama clan Kurama Yakumo. Quickly looking through the list, he was hit by anther dilemma about who should he place with his children. His first thought was to place all the three siblings together, but Mito and Tomoe were too much coordinated to for that to happen. So he decided to place Uchiha Sasuke on a team with Mito and Tomoe under his student Hatake Kakashi . Next one to be decided was Kurenai's team; which was initially made up of Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino, but Shino's inability to show much emotion would be counterproductive to Hinata, so he put Yamanaka Ino in her place. For Asuma's team which was to consist of the second Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Ino was replaced by Haruno Sakura. And finally he placed all the silent gennin namely Kurama Yakumo, Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto and Aburame Shino, but who to place them under.

Suddenly a loud voice from the door asked," Hokage-sama, do you have a mission for the Sexy and Single Mitarashi Anko?" the grinning face of Anko was seen and Minato made his choice.

 **At** **Namikaze Home**

Namikaze-Uzumaki Kushina was happy to be with her family. She had a handsome husband; and three amazing children but for quite some time, she noticed that Naruto was distant towards his family. He barely ate with them and she did not see him spend time with his siblings, well… there was not much time to spend anyway as his siblings were quite busy with their training to utilize Kyuubi's chakra. She just wished that they could give some time to him. He always seemed lonely and reserved. Now that Mito and Tomoe were ready to utilize the fox's chakra, she could concentrate on Naruto. She loved Naruto; perhaps slightly more than Mito or Tomoe, he was always the apple of her eye. The first time she held him was perhaps one of the best moments of her life. She longed to see his smile once again. Sometime during the years, she saw his smile disappear. She was determined to bring the smile back on his face. With determination, she decided that no matter what, she will train him in the Uzumaki techniques after the Chunnin exams that are to be held in Konoha. She started making dinner with new energy.

 **Next Day**

Naruto was sitting in his desk waiting for the team assignments to begin. He took a note of the people in the room. Nobody changed their clothing very much. His siblings now wore black jumpsuits with orange lines (Think of Naruto's Shippuden outfit for both males and females.), Sasuke wore his normal high collared shirt with a large Uchiha crest on his back. Other than that, the only person to change something in his clothing was Naruto who now wore a black haori with the kanji for Duty on is back. While he could legally wear Yamato, he preferred to keep his beloved sword hidden. He will wear it when he leaves the village as a samurai rather than a shinobi. While he was observing his classmates, certain people in the Hokage tower were watching them.

 **Hokage Tower**

Namikaze Minato and other Jounin senseis were looking at the future gennin and shinobi of leaf. He was observing the clan heirs as well as his own children. He was also waiting for the person he would soon be promoting.

"Now lets wait for a comrade of yours. I wish for at least four teams to pass the second gennin test. Kakashi, you asked for Tomoe and Mito, so you will have a team which consists of Sasuke, Mito and Tomoe." said Hokage.

"Isn't it a little unfair for Kakashi to receive all the top students, I could have used someone strong like Mito under my command. It is like you are overpowering Kakashi's squad." frowned a slightly disappointed Kurenai for not having such a powerful gennin under her squad.

"Kurenai-san, you specifically requested Hyuuga Hinata. Now looks like your latest colleague has arrived." And the door was opened by a slightly confused Mitarashi Anko.

"You called me here Hokage-sama. I was just ready to interrogate the next case. I waited the whole night to interrogate Mizuki. He is suspected to have some connection, though it's just speculation on the part of Ibiki.

Minato smiled and said, "Special Jounin Mitarashi, you are suspended from your duty at T&I Department for unforeseeable future."

Anko was shocked, the job at T&I was a way for her to gain information on the whereabouts of her old mentor Orochimaru. It was one of the few things she gained after Orochimaru abandoned her with a curse seal. She was hated by quite a lot of civilians for her connection to Orochimaru, yet she held hope that the shinobi respected her loyalty. Yet she was suspended from her post at T&I Department. As her mind went on this line of thought she heard something else, which raised her spirit instantly.

"You are hereby promoted to full Jounin; this will include all the benefits as a full Jounin. I will also give you ten coupons of all you can eat Dango. This is your reward for your services and it helps in your next assignment. Congratulations Jounin Mitarashi. This assignment is something that I need your help and that is also the reason why the other people are in there."

Anko was shocked at this news before an intense bout of happiness passed through her and her brain restarted. Anko might act like a child most of the time, but she knew how to act according to the situation. Now that he looked around, he found that the other Jounin were also in the room and were crowding around a mirror connected to a crystal ball. She knew of the special all-seeing crystal ball of the Sandaime. Apparently, the Yondaime made some adjustments. As she looked, she found the graduating class of this year. This gave her the idea as to what her next assignment was. She knew that the teams were already decided so she wondered about which team she will receive.

Minato continued, "Now, Team 8 will be a team of Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba and Haruno Sakura. The clan heirs are good shinobi and while Haruno is a fangirl at the moment, I am sure that Kurenai will be able to break her out of her fangirlish tendencies. With her chakra control, she can excel as a Genjutsu specialist or a Medic Nin."

"Asuma will have this generation of Ino-Shika-Cho trio. I hope that their teams will gain similar fame as their predecessors did. While they are under your command, I want their individual faults corrected. You have to curb Shikamaru's laziness, Ino's fangirlish tendencies and Choji's eating habits. Also, make sure that they can perform individually as well."

"Anko, our team would be most difficult to handle, be careful with them." Minato said which shocked everyone. What was so special about this team that Hokage-sama was calling this team most difficult. They looked at the gennin Minato was pointing at.

"Your team will consist of Aburame Shino, Kurenai's previous student Kurama Yakumo and my eldest son Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto. Their personalities are so similar that you will have a hard time handling them. They don't act like children but rather war veterans. Shino is distant from other people due to his upbringing and the as you know, people tend to avoid the Aburame clan. Yakumo has an icy exterior because of her special Genjutsu ability which made her illusions real and a demonic split personality used her ability and killed her parents. She is usually cold and a no-nonsense person. Naruto however is an enigma. No one knows his skill set, not even me. Since I was mostly busy with training Mito and Tomoe to use Kyuubi's chakra, I did not have time to teach him. As a result, I know nothing about his skills and where he stands in terms of ninja abilities. Secondly, he is quite distant from us because of the low amount of attention he received. It is your responsibility that he covers up any lost ground while remaining loyal to Konoha. "

As Anko looked at the said enigma, she found herself intrigued. He was quite tall for his age, already coming close at Kakashi's height; his muscles were built like a swimmer and while they did not look obvious because of his hakama, she could see the hints on the portions of his arms visible at the sleeves. His haori with the kanji for duty was something she did not understand, but it was certainly better than Gai's fashion sense. Another thing she noted was the lack of a kunai and shuriken pouch. At the same moment, Iruka had started to announce team placements. She quickly used Shunshin to arrive at the academy, at least she would be able to scare the wet behind the ears gennin.

 **Academy Classroom**

Naruto heard Iruka announce that his siblings were paired with Sasuke under the command of Minato's student Kakashi. While Naruto did not hate Kakashi, he certainly was not fond of him. While his siblings saw Kakashi as an older brother or uncle, Naruto only saw someone who was only a nuisance and thought that Kakashi must go through a psych evaluation. Next Kurenai's team of Kiba, Sakura and Hinata was announced. Kurenai was a good Jounin but she also had her flaws. She could not even stand a slightly perverted male and would use terrible Genjutsu on them.

"Sometimes, I am really glad that you are not perverted at all, or you would have been the death of us." spoke Yamato.

" **Seriously kit, she is quite a prude and slightly messed up in the head. No normal person could be as sadistic as her. She must also go for this psyche thing.** " said Kurama.

The next Ino-Shika-Cho trio was announced and he was happy that Team 10 will at least have a sane sensei. Asuma was quite strong, after all, you don't get chosen as a royal guard to the Fire Daimyo by being weak. Finally his team was announced. He was quite relieved by his team as no one in his team had any weird habit. While he had never met Yakumo, he knew of her and new quite well about her nature. Shino was as quite as one gets without being mute. If only he got a normal sensei, then life was good.

Unfortunately, his prayer went unanswered as a black ball of cloth came through the window and unrolled to reveal a woman dressed in an orange miniskirt, mesh armor and a tan leather trench coat. The cloth was a banner that read THE GREAT, SEXY AND SINGLE MITARASHI ANKO. His eye twitched as she instructed him and Shino to travel quickly to Training Ground 44 or as it was called, the Forest of Death. When they reached the gates of the training ground, they could see Anko and Yakumo there. He just knew that the whole matter would be quite troublesome to deal with.

Back in the class one Nara Shikamaru suddenly sneezed and went back to sleep after saying troublesome. Back with Team 11, Anko decided to issue the first order to her students.

"Alright brats, how about you introduce yourself. I am certain you would love to know about your teammates. I'll go first; I am Mitarashi Anko, I like dango and red bean soup, tea, my friends and the village, I dislike a certain snake, spicy food and perverts. My hobbies are holding tea parties, working at Torture & Interrogation department and eating Dango. My future goal is to kill a certain snake for ruining my life. Now its your turn girly."

Yakumo possesses long brown hair and light brown eyes. Her hair is straight on one side, but on the other side it is in a braid. In addition, she sports a clip with two circular designs. For her outfit she wore a pink kimono held closed by a pink sash with two pockets on the front. She also wore violet baggy pants and red mesh armor underneath her kimono and legs along with sandals that were orange in color.

Yakumo did not change her expression from an icy look and introduced herself," My name is Kurama Yakumo, the heiress of the Kurama clan. I like my clan, curry, and Genjutsu. I dislike Ido that resides in me. My dream is the gain complete control over my clan's bloodline and become a good clan head."

Next was Shino as he introduced himself," My name is Aburame Shino. I like onigiri, bugs and my clan, I hate the people who needlessly kill bugs and I want to become a good clan head in the future."

Anko now wanted to know about the gennin that had intrigued her so much. She motioned Naruto to introduce himself and Naruto started," My name is Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto. I like home cooked simple food, foxes and people. I hate wars, traitors, rapists, junk food, throwing weapons and unnecessary fighting. I wish to bring the world into an era of peace."

Anko stood there dumbfounded yet could notice a few things. For one, he did not say anything about his family, yet she could not sense any resentment to anyone in the village. She had thought that Hokage-sama was joking when he told her that Naruto was yet to be taught anything from clan archives. As she looked over his emotionless and calm face, she could only wonder as to why a gennin, who was not taught anything by his clan could be so confident and ready. In his eyes, she was unable to find any shred of malice or evil. Without those, she could almost mistake him as a second comic of Orochimaru by how he acted. While this relieved her, what concerned her more was that she could not even find any shred of love or affection in his eyes. Now she understood what Minato said about his son. He looked like a child but was too mature for someone his age and acted as a veteran. She expected such an introduction from Ibiki. After all, which child does not enjoy junk food or hate wars? In his eyes there was only a sense of duty, pride in his achievements though she did not knew what his achievements were, without being anywhere near arrogance and fiery determination. Anko decided t take the gennin exam now, no use by putting it off. She quickly announced this to her team.

"Now team, there is supposed to be a second gennin test. This is given to see if the team is actually able to be a gennin rather than checking if they have minimalistic skills. While Team 7 has always done the bell test, I have something more practical. You will have to defeat the enemy of my choosing and take the scroll from him. This scroll had food sealed in it, if you are able to defeat the enemy, you will pass. Now give a big round of applause for the adversary you will be facing." said a grinning Anko as she started to use handseals. With a shout of Kuchiyose no jutsu, a huge snake appeared in the forest clearing. All the three gennin quickly separated from each other and decided to regroup around the snake in a tree.

 **With the Gennin**

Yakumo begin in her cold tone," That snake will be our downfall, how can you expect three gennin to defeat a large snake summon. Snakes are naturally quite cunning and the summon will be able to see through our plan."

Shino was also having similar thoughts when Naruto said," Not if we think like it. We can predict our opponent's moves if we think logically. Yakumo-san make a small but strong Genjutsu quickly to disguise our presence from the snake. We will use that to plan the next course of action, Shino-san, while Yakumo-san is constructing her Genjutsu, take a note of our supplies. And if its possible, can you place this seal on the snake. It is a tracking seal that will help us find our enemy. The receiver seal is here. Place it on the base of your neck and channel your chakra through it, it will give you a mental map about the location of the summon. Give one to Yakumo-san as well."

Shino quickly used the seal and gave one to Yakumo who had completed the construction of a cloaking Genjutsu. The only disappointing thing they found was their lack of many ninja tools. They did not have lots of kunai; they did not have even a foot length of ninja wire. Now Naruto was torn; he did not want the team to fail the test, but his special techniques were too destructive when he suddenly had an idea. He took out a scroll and took out his sealing papers. Addressing his teammates, Naruto suggested," I have a plan but for it to work I will need your help. Yakumo-san, can you use a Genjutsu to confuse the senses of the snake, Shino-san, use your bugs to irritate the snake and lure it to the next clearing. I will be waiting with a trap ready."

The plan was in motion and Naruto truly hoped that the plan worked. Otherwise, Naruto will have to use Yamato against an innocent summon who was only called to test them. With this, the three gennin quickly moved out of the tree.

 **General POV**

Anko saw as all three of her students came out of the tree they were hiding in. While Yakumo and Shino lured the snake by the help of Genjutsu and bug Ninjutsu, Naruto took his ink and quickly drew a large seal connected to a small seal and a medium sized seal. She saw that the snake was nearly in the clearing. Just when the time was right, Naruto shouted," Get away from the snake Yakumo-san and Shino-san. The trap is ready and with that, Naruto funneled a large amount of chakra in the smallest seal. With a huge thump, the gigantic summon nearly got crushed under an invisible weight. She did not know what Naruto did but it worked and the summon was defeated. They had passed the test with flying colors.

 **Later**

The Jounin were assembled in Minato's office to give the results of the team meetings and tests for those who had completed the second Gennin test. Most Jounin sensei waited a day to take the tet but that was not something that always happened. Minato asked from the Jounin, and while the Jounin had things to say about the teams, none of them conducted the test today. Suddenly the newest Jounin Mitarashi Anko came running and started panting. She panted and said," I hope..pant.. that I am not the last Jounin to come. I lost track of time."

Minato smiled. Anko was like a breath of fresh air for the whole shinobi populace. He really hated that the civilians hated her for her connection to Orochimaru. Quickly, he calmed her down and asked for the report on her team.

Anko grinned and said," Looks like you were joking when you said that you did not train Naruto…." This completely confused Minato as he was unable to understand what she meant by that sentence "… after all, only someone trained by you or Jiraiya-sama could be so skilled in Fuinnjutsu to make a gravitational Fuinnjutsu trap within minutes. His enemy tracker seal and mind communication seal were a work of art. Are you sure that you did not teach him" teased Anko.

Minato was surprise, Mito and Tomoe showed a high aptitude for Ninjutsu but Fuinnjutsu was way beyond them at this point. Even he did not start leaning seals when he was a gennin. Only Uzumaki clan had this practice of teaching Fuinnjutsu to children at the age of five. It was a reason why Kushina was a level five seal master when she graduated from Ninja Academy. While this certainly shocked and slightly hurt Minato, he felt an overwhelming pride in his eldest son to be able to learn and create seals like this at a young age like this. Yet the slight pain that his son did not wait for him to teach was making him uncomfortable. He had neglected Naruto's training for long enough. He decided that he would train Naruto and teach him every Jutsu he knew after the Chunnin exams this year. He never knew that by then, it would be too late as Naruto had no intention of remaining as a ninja after the Chunnin exams.

 **Some Days Later**

Most teams found D-rank missions to be a bane of Gennin. D-rank missions were the lowest of the low, missions with no excitement, no fun, just mind numbing chores given to ninja by villagers who were too lazy to weed their farms, walk their dogs, and care for their children. Most Gennin teams loathed them, and because of this Anko decided to shove heaps of D-rank missions to break her students out of their strange, almost mute behavior. She trained all three in physical conditioning, chakra control and Ninjutsu. Where Shino and Yakumo were panting, sweating and silently cursing, Naruto looked almost bored with the heavy training she gave him. She decided to evaluate him on his physical conditioning. The results left her gaping, as his physical conditioning was far greater that her. She felt like a kitten while he stood tall and proud like a tiger. She was able to teach Yakumo and Shino quite a lot; They had better Taijutsu now, their chakra control was high Chunnin to low Jounin and their speed and stamina was quite high, yet it paled in comparison to the student she was not able to teach anything to. His base speed was higher than her, so was his stamina. His chakra control was something only Senju Tsunade had achieved and he was a very good user of Taijutsu, well, at least that was what she could glean from her spar with Naruto a few days ago.

 **Flashback**

"Ok Naruto, you will spar with me for I need to test your skill in Taijutsu. I am ready when you are." said Anko as she took her snake-style Taijutsu stance. Naruto meanwhile observed his opponent and tried to gauge any weakness of her style. The snake-style was Orochimaru's signature style which required immense flexibility and maneuverability. But since it was such a flexible style, it sacrificed attack strength and ability to dodge multiple attacks. Naruto took a loose stance for the basic kata he created in unarmed Shingetsu style. While he could not use attacks like Nadeshiko, due to the destructive power of the style, he created it for the person to be in tune with the wind. When Anko started the fight and charged at him he felt the disturbance in the air around him and fluidly weaved around the attack, which happened again with the follow up attack. This silly yet deadly game continued; Anko would charge with some attack, which was redirected, blocked, or shifted around. Anko was starting to get frustrated. This child was toying with her and was almost impossible to hit. It felt as if she was trying to catch air. The Uchiha style boasted about predicting the next move of the opponent before it could even be made, yet the style Naruto was using made the Uchiha style look like a joke. Finally Naruto got fed up and the next attack by Anko was grabbed and he used his foot and her arm to completely flip her. Then came a single punch that had so much power in it that she immediately lost consciousness.

 **Flashback End**

Now, Anko was taking her team to get another mission. They had completed the required amount of D-ranks, well, way more than the required amount and now, she wanted a D-rank. The only thing that she could train Naruto in was his throwing ability and she took many pains for him to start learning about the use of senbon needle.

 **Hokage Tower**

Team 8 was in the Hokage's cabin for getting their first C-rank mission. While Minato wanted to fulfill her request, it was dangerous to send two of the clan heirs with only one Jounin, and though he hated to admit it, Kurenai was not like a Front line fighter and it would cause problems if some missing-nin decided to attack them. Kurenai was giving him a glare while tapping her foot to show that she won't leave without a C-rank. He was pondering on what he should do when relief came.

"Hokage-sama, I request a C-rank mission. My team has completed enough D-ranks to last us a whole lifetime." said Anko in tired voice.

"In fact, I have a perfect mission for both of your teams. Send in Tazuna-san

AN- thank you for our support, I will try for the first chapter of wave arc to be completed fastly

AN- I need some help in fight scenes so fighting has been minimum till now. Hopefully, I will learn how to write good fight scenes.

AN-Next Chapter: Wave, Where Demon Awaits


	6. Chapter 6

"Hello" - Human Talk

 **"Hello" - Bijuu/Summon Talk**

'Hello' - Human Thought

' **Hello' - Bijuu/Summon Thought**

Disclaimer- I do not own Naruto or Ruroni Kenshin.

Chapter 6

Wave, Where Demon Awaits

 **Hokage Tower**

"Team 8 and Team 11 will work together on a C-rank mission to guard Master Bridge Builder Tazuna of Wave Country for his journey to Wave and wait there until the Bridge is complete. You are to protect the Bridge Builder at any cost, although the most terrible thing you may face is a group of bandits as most C-ranks do not engage in missing of foreign Nin." said Minato.

As Minato was saying this, Tazuna, the Master Bridge Builder came in. Tazuna is a grey-haired, bespectacled man with a large beard and dark eyes. When first introduced, he wore a sleeveless v-neck shirt with an obi, pants and a pair of sandals. He also carried a towel around his neck and wore a pointed hat on his head. He also carried a sake bottle in his hand. He took a swig from the bottle which earned him a disapproving glare from Kurenai and a small grin from Anko.

"I asked for ninja, not some brats. What is with the brats anyway, the dog one looks completely stupid, the blue haired one seems blind and is pink even natural. The others at least look professional, except that tall guy in hakama. I assumed that ninja don't dress like that ….." Tazuna ranted when a chilling voice cut right through his rant and said," You may be our client but that does not give you the right to decide the way about how I should dress. If you have problems with our teams being your protection detail, then leave with your mission and go to some other village."

Everyone was surprised about the way Naruto reacted to the old man's rant. Team 11 has never seen Naruto react to simple things, yet he showed hostility when the client commented on his choice of clothing. Even though they were surprised, they did not say anything. Minato on the other hand was dumbfounded; never had he seen his eldest son show hostility to anyone, so he wondered about why the hakama was special. This required further investigation, right now, he quickly addressed the teams.

"You will leave tomorrow at 1 in the afternoon. Pack your stuff and get ready for some time away from the village. Everyone is dismissed except Naruto, I wish to discuss something with him." said Minato and everyone left the room except Naruto.

Before Minato could even say something, Naruto bowed down in front of Minato and said," I am extremely sorry Hokage-sama. I should not have insulted the client. I am willing to bear any punishment you wish for me to bear." At the same second, Minato was wondering,' When Naruto called me Hokage-sama, it seemed as if I was talking to some random ninja rather than my own son. It seemed like Naruto has never called him father before. As much ridiculous it sounded, it also felt suspiciously true which caused feelings of guilt to bloom inside him.

"There won't be any punishment for this incident; some clients just do not know how to behave. I have seen you for some time and you are always calm and collected. Why did you become protective when he insulted your clothing sense? Even Gai does not get this angry if you insult his spandex." asked a curious Minato.

Naruto gave a small smile and said," My clothes are more than simply clothes; they represent me and my ideology. This is what defines me and it is the source of my pride. Would you not feel the same if some client commanded you to wear something different than your white haori?" With that Naruto left the room and started to prepare for the mission. He was in the middle of his preparation when he heard Kurama's voice.

" **That was quite sneaky and amazing speech you gave back there, but why did you hide the resistance seals you are wearing?** "

"Well Kurama, the reason for the speech was that if I acted normally, they could have asked me to change into a more ninja-appropriate outfit. Then, it would have been a drag to place the resistance and weight seals in the ninja clothing. Besides, these clothes signify my samurai way. I am not some mercenary who keeps weapons on him at all times because he could need them anytime. Nor am I someone who needs to hide. This shows that even if I wear a hitai-ate, I am a samurai at heart." explained Naruto.

He quickly packed a set of spare clothing, a bokken, his first curved dagger, his Fuinnjutsu scroll which contained spare tags and information of his experimental seals and some homemade food. All of this was sealed inside a sealing scroll which he took with him and left for the gate where his team was to assemble.

 **Village Gates**

Naruto was the first to reach the front gates of the village. He began to wait for his team while reading a book on anatomy. He may be a swordsman but healing was something beneficial to learn. He was not at the level of someone like Tsunade but he was still quite accomplished because of his perfect chakra control and yang release. He learned the basics of healing from Kurama, who had a lot of experience in healing his previous containers. Kurama told him about the healing technique of Senju Hashirama, who could use yang chakra to heal instantly. Wounds like large gashes and broken bones healed within seconds while severed arms or legs grew back in about a minute. The only person who could claim such an achievement was Senju Tsunade but her technique was flawed as it aged the person using the technique. He was able to recreate the healing technique of Shodaime and perfect it to a level, where his wounds healed before they could even be made fully. He tried this technique by making a cut on his arm; the cut healed before it was even fully made (Wolverine's Healing factor). Now he was reading the anatomy book for a way to defeat the opponent without giving him any serious or fatal injuries. As he was waiting, he found the other members coming towards the gate holding heavy bags. The first to arrive was Anko who was carrying a small bad with her. Yakumo and Shino had heavier bags with clothes, some food and ninja tools. Team 8 came into the clearing in a similar luggage. When Kiba saw Naruto without a bag, he saw it fit to insult him about it.

"Hey loser, did you forget to pack? We don't have enough time for you to go back and pack."

Naruto looked at them, puzzled about why they were not using storage scrolls, quickly questions," I would like to ask you first; why are none of you using storage scrolls? It would have been much easier to carry all the stuff. Even Anko-sensei is carrying a bag."

This caused all of them to blush in embarrassment and then glare at him. Why was Naruto such a smartass, they would never know. Tazuna quickly distracted them," Come on people, we are wasting daylight here. I wish to reach my home as quickly as possible. As soon as I complete the bridge, your work will be finished. And I do not want to slack off on the work."

 **On the path to Wave**

Naruto was suspiciously, Wave was a country surrounded by water. As a result, it should be a commercial shipping port, so why is the bridge required. He could easily hear the impatience in Tazuna's voice at it only gave him one indication, there was something wrong in Wave, and Tazuna was at the center of the mess, due to his fear. As the team started to walk towards Wave, Naruto decided to glean some information out of Tazuna.

"Tazuna-san, I am sorry for my outburst earlier. Hokage-sama was particularly angry with my threat. I did not mean to snap but my clothing has a sentimental value with them."

Tazuna smiled a bit," No harm done kid. I should not have insulted you as well. And I understand, there are a lot of things that I have a sentimental attachment as well." Naruto meanwhile, was thinking about how to question him, when he had an idea," Do you have family in Wave Tazuna-san?"

"Yes, I have my daughter Tsunami and my grandson Inari." Naruto frowned at that," What about Inari's father?"

Tazuna looked sad at that, Naruto noticed that in an instant. Tazuna paused a little and answered," He died some time ago. It was an accident." Naruto however could pick the fear and anger in his voice. The accident, as Tazuna said, was most certainly no accident, but probably said as a lie to hide something.

Sakura asked," Aren't there ninja in Wave Country?"

Kurenai gave a smile at Sakura's inquisitive nature and explained," No Sakura, Wave Country is an island nation and is protected by oceans all around the island. Most other countries are connected by mainland and the only other island nation right now that has ninja is Kiri. Small military forces are there in other island nations but not ninja."

Naruto had his attention on the path they were following. About 200 meters, there was a puddle of water in the middle of the road. Naruto wanted to laugh at the stupidity of the two ninja, but he didn't, he would certainly have looked weird. Quickly activating his Hanteigan, Naruto found two sinful souls. The two ninja in the puddle were filled with greed. He felt the intensity of their greed and they were ready to do anything to satisfy this greed. He was disgusted by them and made his decision. He looked at his teachers and saw that they noticed the Genjutsu. As soon as they crossed the puddle, two ninja came out from the puddle. They had shaggy black hair with faces covered with masks. They wore Kiri hitai-ate and had two gauntlets attached with a chain and quickly attacked them. Wrapping their chain around the two Jounin, they pulled which sliced the two women to pieces while saying," Two down." As the gennin froze at the 'deaths' of their sensei, Naruto quickly drew his knife and dashed at the two shinobi. As the left brother moved his gauntlet to attack Naruto, Naruto Shunpoed behind the other brother and stabbed him in the head from behind. His brother saw this and dashed at him in rage. Before anyone else could react, Anko appeared behind the second Nin and knocked him out.

"Anko-sensei, you are alive! But I thought that you died." exclaimed Sakura looking at the place where the corpses of her teachers lay, only to find pieces of a sliced up log. It dawned on the gennin that their teacher had used Kawarimi to escape from the chain. It was proven a while later when Kurenai came from the forest with a grim look on her face.

"I think you need to explain something, Tazuna-san." Tazuna paled a little and started sweating.

 **One long explanation later**

Naruto's head was in a whirl; Wave was under the control of a vile, greedy, and corrupted midget who was slowly but surely strangling the life out of Wave Country. Wave Daimyo was killed by Gatou to get complete control over the people of Wave. This was something that made Naruto shake with rage. His sense of justice was tingling and quivering with barely restrained anger.

Kurenai asked the students," Now we have two options, we can either continue with the mission or leave, there is a very high chance that the mission is upgraded to a B-rank or possibly an A-rank mission. There is a very high chance of injury and death. I do not want you to face them so early in your life as your Jounin-sensei we are leaving the mission. A more experienced team will have to handle this mission."

Tazuna felt hopeless; he had endangered the life of children, lied which would have gotten them killed. But he had no choice; the economy of Wave was not large enough to give a higher ranking mission. This mission was his last hope which was now crushed. He wondered if an explanation to the Hokage would have gotten him a team of ninja, more suited for the job.

As the team started to pack the bags, Naruto quickly sealed anything that belonged to him. He completely understood Kurenai's reasoning but his heart was not into it. He wanted to rant and rave about the mission getting younger ninja killed and how Tazuna endangered his life, yet no sound came from him. Naruto wanted to aid Tazuna in his quest to free his country, not because of some kind of misguided arrogance or someway to gain attention and prove himself, he wanted to do it because it was the right thing to do. As a samurai, it was hi duty to protect the weak from the strong who oppress, and he was not going to leave his bushido for something as stupid as mission parameters.

"Old man, once I am packed; we should head quickly to Wave, there might be a chance to protect you and your family until your bridge is complete. I may be a ninja, but I have an idea what could happen when you oppose scum like Gatou who has money to throw around. If we do not come with you, your daughter could face a fate worse than death. I don't care if I am even marked as a missing-nin or punished for insubordination, I will help you in protecting your family and the hope of your people." declared Naruto.

Kurenai tried to reason with Naruto," Naruto, the mission is just too dangerous for gennin. There is a large chance of sustaining injury and death. Please, come back, a different team will handle the mission."

Naruto glared at Kurenai and said through gritted teeth," It would be too late by then. People in Wave know that Tazuna has gone to hire ninja for protection. If we do not go, Tazuna will be killed, his daughter will get raped, his grandson could be sold as a slave and Wave Country will lose its last hope. You may be willing to go back but I won't. If Anko-sensei wants to, she can also return but there is just no way that I abandon Tazuna at the hands of Gatou."

Anko looked grim for a few moments before saying," I agree with you brat. It will be too late and we cannot afford to waste time for new team to get here. I just hope that there is nothing we have to face in this mission that we cannot handle." Kurenai also agreed and the mission continued.

Tazuna was ecstatic; there was someone from the team who was willing to help him. His two teachers and the girls were also willing when they thought about his daughter being violated and decided to help him. In the end, it was decided that the mission will be continued and Tazuna could not be happier.

Meanwhile, Anko was looking at Naruto in an effort to understand what he was thinking. Naruto had made his first kill and seemed to handle it much better than what a green Gennin should. This worried Anko greatly because he showed no fear, disgust, happiness or fear at what he had done. He went about it as freely as a Jounin would; who had made enough kills to come to terms that killing is a part of the job. She vowed to keep an eye on him for any signs of treason.

The two Jounin, six Gennin and the old man walked for another two hours before they reached the coast. Tazuna had a friend who was willing to ferry the group across the water to the Wave Country. They found the boat on the shore and quickly boarded. The small fishing boat sailed at a moderate pace across the mist-covered water. The mist was quite thick and it was difficult to see much. Naruto however felt as if someone was watching him. Discreetly activating Hanteigan, he looked around for any traces of the any other person but found nothing.

Suddenly, a huge bridge came into view. It was a magnificent model of architecture and looked really sturdy and strong. This bridge had the potential to uplift the economy of Wave Country without any problems. Naruto was thoroughly impressed.

"That is a really impressive bridge. You must be quite proud of it; it has the potential to uplift the economy of Wave even after all the mess Gatou made. No wonder Gatou would try to inhibit its progress and you would want to complete it as soon as possible. Though, how were you able to get the material for the bridge? Creating this monumental bridge must have cost quite a fortune."

Tazuna puffed up proudly and explained," Yes, it did cost a fortune. When the construction started, Wave was slightly more prosperous than it is now. Most of the material came from Wave Country itself. Machinery had to be bought from other places but we managed. The only good thing that made the bridge less costly was that we never needed to buy building material, just the machinery. All the able bodied men in the village gather on weekends and help in mining the stone which is later used as building material. This significantly reduced the cost of building this bridge. The idea was actually given to us by Kaiza. He was a fisherman and my second son in-law. My first son in-law drowned when he was fishing and Tsunami married Kaiza six years later. Kaiza was the hope of the village, so Gatou decapitated him in front of the whole population of Wave. Inari was never the same after this incident." ended Tazuna in a sad note.

Anko gained the attention of everyone and instructed," Keep quiet brats; there is a chance that Gatou's men are out here looking for the Bridge Builder. We can get detected." with this, everyone on the boat became silent.

 **On the shore**

"Thank you for your help Hiro, you took many pains to safely deliver us here. I will never forget your help. If only this vermin named Gatou dies, Wave would become a happy place." thanked Tazuna.

"Don't worry, just finish the bridge and help this country Tazuna, Gatou's reign must end at all costs. I fear that one day, he will turn Wave into a desert."

Taking their leave, the two Gennin teams, their Jounin-sensei and Tazuna began trekking towards Tazuna's house halfway on the unfinished bridge, a thick mist began to roll and the feeling of discomfort began to increase in Naruto.

'Kurama, is there something wrong? Why are my senses going into overdrive?' Naruto mentally asked.

' **That is because someone IS following you. Your senses are kicking in and you feel more uncomfortable in the mist is because it is laced with chakra to make it this thick. Normal mist is never thick around a water body naturally.** ' answered Kurama.

Suddenly, Kiba threw a kunai into some bushes, startling everyone in the group. Hinata went into the bushes and pulled out a scared white rabbit. Kiba looked sheepish and Sakura screamed at him for nearly killing the rabbit. However, the thoughts of both the Jounin were on a different line of thought,' It is a white rabbit, but in summer, its coat should be brown unless it was a domesticated rabbit, used for Kawarimi.' Suddenly a whizzing sound was heard but it made the ninja react. Without any need for a verbal warning, all the people ducked with Tazuna being dragged down by Shino and Kiba as a huge sword shaped like a meat cleaver came spinning, passed over their head and got stuck in the tree. A man appeared near the sword who seemed to be the user of the cleaver like sword. He was a tall and noticeably muscular man with pale skin, short spiky black hair, brown eyes, and small eyebrows. He was wearing bandages like a mask over the bottom half of his face. He also wore his forehead protector sideways on his head

"Ah! Genjutsu Mistress Yuuhi Kurenai and Snake Mistress of Konoha Mitarashi Anko, no wonder the Demon Brothers failed to kill the Bridge Builder." commented a mocking voice from the mist.

"Momochi Zabuza, A-rank missing-nin of Kiri, known for an assassination attempt on Yondaime Mizukage, but was unsuccessful in the venture." said Anko coolly but was extremely worried about the safety of her gennin team. She also cursed Naruto for making her come here.

Naruto meanwhile had activated his Dōjutsu and quickly looked at Zabuza. Zabuza was a cold, indifferent and ruthless person, who committed a large number of crimes, yet his soul did not have darkness, it was filled with guilt and regret instead. He was not completely innocent, but he was not guilty. Zabuza must survive and the only way Naruto could ensure that, was by fighting himself.

Before anyone could step forward, Naruto came in the front of the group and stood still, his bangs were shadowing his eyes from everyone and he was mumbling something.

Zabuza was confused for a second before he started to mock Naruto at the slight show of bravery," HAHAHAHAHA! A Gennin who thinks to highly of himself wants to die at the hands of an evil missing-nin. Move aside boy and hand over the Bridge Builder, in return, I will make your death painless." said Zabuza with a menacing look.

Naruto did not talk for a second, when suddenly, a small cloud of smoke appeared near his right hand. As the smoke dissipated, everyone saw a katana in his hand. Anko thought,' He never used a sword against me, so he probably picked up the skill on his free time, still, he has no hope of defeating Zabuza, who is not only physically stronger, but also has years of experience in Kenjutsu.'

What happened next completely surprised everyone and would be the strangest memory of their life this far.

 **Zabuza's POV**

Zabuza did not know what happened. He was mocking the red haired, hakama-wearing brat, and the very next second, he had to bring his sword up to block the powerful and precise blow from the said brat. Naruto was midair in front of him, with his beautiful katana in a downward blow that would have cut him in half. The boy in front of him suddenly vanished before reappearing behind him in a bifurcating slash. He barely avoided it which could be seen by a cut on his waist. He decided that the fight must be taken seriously. Quickly jumping back, he weaved the hand signs and called out, Kirigakure no Jutsu.

 **Normal POV**

Anko was shocked at the speed and power Naruto held. The way he handled the sword showed his familiarity with the weapon, and it puzzled Anko to no end, as to why he never used the sword against her. She was doubtful that Kurenai of her could injure Zabuza with a sword, but he did it like it was nothing. The sword style was also something she was unable to grasp, the speed and precision was so high, that any of the strikes could kill the opponent if they landed correctly.

She decided to warn him about Zabuza's mastery of Silent Killing Technique of the mist swordsmen." Naruto watch out! He is using the Silent Killing Technique which he is a master at. He can attack anytime from the mist without letting you know where he is."

True to her word, Zabuza unleashed a massive amount of killing intent from the mist while giving a mad laughter.

"I would listen to her if I was you brat, not many people can detect me in the mist. Which vital spot out of the eight vital spots, larynx, spine, lung, liver, jugular, collarbone kidney and heart should I kill you with?" mused Zabuza.

Then Naruto began to talk," You cannot kill me; I move forward by my will to help the Wave against its tormenters. Your sword is inferior from mine because my sword protects and punishes, while yours can only kill. If you want to defeat me, change your sword first. A sword that only knows how to kill can never hope to defeat me. As for the mist, does this mist make you feel powerful; does it make you feel invincible? If it does, then let me show you how vulnerable your invulnerability is?" While saying this, his body was covered in a bluish aura. Holding Yamato in a Battoujutsu stance, he calls out.

"Shingetsu ryu Ichishiki: Tsuinosen (Heart Moon First Ceremony sword style: Chasing Flash)

And with that, he quickly pulls up his sword while releasing a massive gust of wind which completely cleared the mist leaving both his companions and Zabuza speechless. Looking at Zabuza's expression of shock, he quickly uses Shunpo to appear in front of Zabuza and calls out his next attack

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu: Do-ryu-sen (Flying Heaven Govern Sword-Style: Ground Dragon Flash)" and slashes the makes an upward slash at Zabuza. Zabuza tries valiantly to stop the blade by using his own sword Kubikiriboncho as a shield, but was completely shocked when his sword was sliced in half. And this caused him to be unprepared for the next attack.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu: Ryu-tsui-sen(Flying Heaven Govern Sword-Style: Dragon Mallet Flash). But before the attack could even, some senbon pierced Zabuza's causing him to fall down.

A Kiri Hunter-nin appeared from the surrounding trees and came towards Zabuza's body. Picking up the destroyed Kubikiriboncho, he faces Naruto," Thank you for your assistance in killing him, I was chasing him for quite some time now."

Naruto looked at the Hunter-nin with is Dōjutsu and found something that was rare in the world, a completely pure and gentle soul. However, he also knew that this person in front of him was not a hunter-nin,' so he must be an accomplice of Zabuza. I hope I do not have to kill him; anyone who harms such a gentle person must be a monster. '

"That is no problem hunter-san, I hope you have a good day." Wishing Naruto a hasty goodbye, the fake hunter-nin shunshined away, with Zabuza's body and sword.

Facing his amazed and awed team mates, senseis and client Naruto said happily," Lets continue people, we are wasting time here." Hearing the shuffling and footsteps behind him, Naruto smiled, due to his good mood.

'It is always a good day to face an amazing swordsman like Zabuza, I hope we have a rematch. It is a good feeling to let loose once in a while, don't you agree Yamato.'

Yamato replied,' It really was a satisfying fight, we must do it again some other time.'

'Don't worry Yamato, we will get another chance when Zabuza-san has healed his wounds.

AN- thank you all for the reviews and praises. The chapter got delayed because I was working on a new story whose first chapter will be uploaded shortly.

AN2- Please tell if the fight scene was good or not, I still am not completely confident with detailed and normal fight scenes.

AN3- I have not considered pairing right now, but i was wondering about using Sonohara Anri from Durarara and Busujima Saeko from Highschool fo the dead. I don not plan to make it a harem story

Next Chapter- Questions and Training


	7. Chapter 7

"Hello" - Human Talk

 **"Hello" - Bijuu/Summon Talk**

'Hello' - Human Thought

' **Hello' - Bijuu/Summon Thought**

Disclaimer- I do not own Naruto or Ruroni Kenshin.

Chapter 7

Answers and Training

As the group of young ninja and their older client trudged along the path leading to Tazuna's house, all of them were thinking about the marvelous display of swordsmanship that was displayed by the two swordsmen, more importantly, by Naruto. All of them had thoughts about him which were varied, but the thought that predominated other thoughts, was respect for his strength.

Inuzuka Kiba always thought Naruto as an average student who did not have the same amount of power and skill that was displayed by his family. During the years at the academy, Naruto never displayed the skill or knowledge that his siblings displayed. While his siblings showed the various Ninjutsu taught to them by his parents, he never showcased his talent. His Taijutsu at the academy was acceptable but not very great; he also used the Academy Taijutsu style at the academy instead of the Taijutsu of his clan. Kiba always thought of him as a talentless loser. But now, he could not help but be amazed at the way he used his sword and defeated an A-rank missing-nin who specialized in swordsmanship. His movements were so quick that they were simply a blur. He was determined to get his answers as to why he hid his skill.

Aburame Shino did not mind Naruto at all. He was a reliable team mate who was not put off by his bugs or his silent nature. During his time on team 11, Shino saw the skill Naruto had. His Taijutsu was something which could defeat Anko-sensei, his chakra control would have made a medic-nin green with envy and he was probably the fittest person in the whole village. But, what he just saw was not just skill, it was almost scary for him. The way he handled the sword felt so natural that the strikes seemed to flow. Shino never thought about the skill level of Naruto, but he knew, his Kenjutsu could defeat anyone he wished. It was probably also the reason why he never concentrated on projectile throwing.

Haruno Sakura initially joined the academy because of her crush on Uchiha Sasuke. She was very happy when she was able to graduate. She cheered for him at every occasion and was quite sad when she was not able to get on the same team as him. After two months of intense training at the hands of Yuuhi Kurenai, she broke out of her fangirlish tendencies. She always thought that Sasuke would save her when she would face danger, but while facing Zabuza, she was certain that Sasuke would not be able to protect even himself. As she thought of the most gruesome ways she would die, her friend Mito's elder brother came, faced a very strong missing-nin and defeated him without any jutsu. She never saw arrogance, some flashy technique or some kind of trick. Naruto-san defeated Zabuza through his skill. In that very moment, Naruto became her idol, not her crush. She wanted to be as strong and majestic as Naruto-san.

Kurama Yakumo always thought that, Naruto was hiding his skill. Today's fight showed her something that she had ignored completely. He was not hiding any of his skill, he was not challenged into revealing his skill, heck; no one among the Gennin could even make him draw his sword. It was not him hiding, but her not being strong enough for him to force him to reveal his skill. She grew determined to make him reveal his full skill.

Hyuuga Hinata was a gentle person. She was mostly seen as weak because of her aversion to hurting people, which was a liability in the field of ninja. The other reason she was unable to grow till now, was her sensei Yuuhi Kurenai's mothering. She led a sheltered life till now, which caused her to freeze up when Demon Brothers and Zabuza attacked the team. She expected to die at the hands of Zabuza but the quick action of Naruto saved the team's life. As she looked at the person who saved them, she vowed to become strong like him.

The senseis of the two teams were keenly observing Naruto. The boy had managed to push back someone who was a part of the greatest and most fearsome swordsmen, and carried an oversized butcher knife, with a simple Katana. If he was to leave the village, he would be able to join any group without any problem. They would have to keep an eye on him for any kind of treasonous activities.

Tazuna just thought how lucky he was, to hire such a powerful team. When he was first introduced to them, he was apprehensive. But the redhead was able to dispel any doubts he had about the team. Even if all the members of the teams were not freakishly powerful like the redhead, they were competent for sure. He was also inspired by the conviction of the swordsman, that he will protect the hope of Wave Country by any means possible.

A few miles down the road and team 11 and 8 arrived with Tazuna at his house. The house itself was near the ocean and seemed a simple wooden house. Tazuna led the shinobi inside.

"Tsunami I'm home" - Tazuna said happily that he finally got home.

"Father" - Tsunami said hugging him "I'm relieved that you are alright". Tsunami was a very beautiful woman. She had mid back dark blue hair and black eyes. She wore pink shirt with red sleeves and dark blue skirt.

"It's thanks to these shinobi. They saved me" - Tazuna said. Tsunami approached his protective detail and bowed saying "Thank you for protecting my father shinobi-san. You are welcome to our house".

Naruto stepped forward and bowed his head and said," Thank you for having us."

"You are a very polite young man; what is your name?" asked a pleased Tsunami.

"My name is Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto, Gennin of Konoha, member of team 11 led by Mitarashi Anko. Behind me are Kurama Yakumo and Aburame Shino, my team-mates. The other team is team 8, consisting of Inuzuka Kiba, Haruno Sakura and Hyuuga Hinata, led by Yuuhi Kurenai. Can you show us some rooms where the teams could rest? We need to be in our top condition on the mission."

"Very well, there are three guestrooms on the top floor, where you all can retire for the night. I have yet to cook the dinner, so you can ask for anything you want." instructed Tsunami.

The teams quickly entered the home and decided to clean up before questioning Naruto. Taking some time to clean the dirt and grime acquired during their trip put them in a slightly better mood. Once everyone was clean, they all surrounded Naruto, while shooting him accusing glances.

Naruto was a little unnerved by their glares and nervously stammered out," What?"

Anko got angry and yelled," Don't 'What' me brat, what you did back there, was reckless and arrogant which would have resulted in death, loss of limbs or the death of your comrades. What do you have to say for yourself?" ranted Anko while tapping her foot.

"I was confident about my ability. Since no one in the village was there for me to practice Kenjutsu with, I decided to clash my sword with Zabuza." Spoke a timid Naruto.

"I am quite curious about your Kenjutsu style Naruto, who taught you such a powerful style?" inquired Kurenai.

Sitting down on a bed nearby, Naruto looked at the team and said something which would have been considered as a joke if they did not hear it from Naruto's mouth," I created the two Kenjutsu styles I use. I had to because no one taught me anything before."

Everyone sitting around Naruto was shocked into stunned silence, before the screamed in incredulity.

"WHAT!"

Naruto winced at the loud noise and said in a laidback manner while cleaning his ear," Yeah, it is quite surprising. I learnt the basics from the scrolls in Konoha Library while the techniques were created by me after extensive study of anatomy, physics, forging, and many other branches. Even my chakra training is completely self-taught."

Anko was the first to snap out of her shock. This was a lot to take in, after all, when do you learn that the a Gennin in your squad is a prodigy of Kenjutsu and is skilled enough to push back a master Swordsman of the Mist. Zabuza skills may have gotten a little rusty, but he was still a fearsome swordsman.

"But why did you hide your skill? Hiding one's skill is viewed with suspicion." asked Anko.

Naruto simply looked at her in a strange manner, as if she was an alien.

"I never hid my skill. I just did not have any opportunity to showcase it. I may be many things, but not a showoff. Also, my Kenjutsu styles are very difficult to learn and almost impossible to master. To utilize my Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, a person must have at least high Kage level speed without using chakra, perfect reflexes and a pinpoint precision. Even the Rikudou Sennin would have trouble if he faces this style at its highest level. It was my dream to create a style that is unmatched in the shinobi world."

"But what about the other style that you used, the Shingetsu Ryu? I was unable to grasp the concept behind that style." enquired a curious Kurenai.

"That explanation can wait, for we have much more pressing concerns than my Kenjutsu styles. I believe that Zabuza is still alive, and might recover his strength in about ten days." Naruto spoke seriously.

Everyone was shocked; how could Zabuza be alive when they all saw him die? Kurenai even checked his pulse; there should be no way for Zabuza to be alive.

"But how can Zabuza be alive Naruto-san, we all saw him die?" asked a nervous Sakura.

"Those weapons that the hunter-nin used were simple needles..." Naruto trailed off as he looked at his team,"… which can be used to put someone in a false death state. Also, the hunter-nin are supposed to destroy the body of the missing-nin at the spot. The hunter-nin was most likely an accomplice; fortunately, the death like state would keep him incapacitated for about a week because all of his muscles were contracted to the maximum in that state, coupled with the injuries I gave him, we have about ten days before Zabuza attacks again."

A silence fell across the room as the teams tried to take that information in. Sakura finally broke the silence, a sliver of fear causing her to stutter, "S-so, what are we g-going to do?" she asked.

Anko grinned excitedly and announced, "We are going to get you ready for battle. You are going to receive heavy training. As I can see now, Naruto is the strongest among us, which means that we will have to improve s much as we can by the time Zabuza attacks. Also, we must start your Ninjutsu training as it can give you an edge. Tomorrow, I will evaluate your skill in Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. Have a good rest, and be ready for torture, I mean training."

Everyone shivered at the thought, already dreading the hellish torture they would face in the morning.

 **Next Morning**

After a quick breakfast, courtesy of Tsunami, the two ninja teams of Konoha gathered in the forests of Wave Country to train for their upcoming battle.

"Yosh! The first thing me must do is to evaluate where you stand in terms of your training. First will be your physical evaluation, then your chakra training and finally your tactics. I already know the skills of my team, but the other three Gennin are a mystery. So maggots, start running through the forests without any chakra enhancement. I'll provide the motivation." yelled an excited Anko, before biting her thumb and doing the Kuchiyose no Jutsu. A huge brown-colored snake appeared and began chasing the three Gennin who began to run while screaming in fright.

On the other side of the clearing near the lake, Kurenai was instructing Anko's team on the finer aspects of chakra usage.

"So, do you all know water-walking exercise?" asked a curious Kurenai to which they all nodded. Kurenai thought for a moment before deciding," In that case, we will learn about Kunai balancing and the finer aspects of Genjutsu. While most people do not put much stock in Genjutsu, it is a very dangerous and subtle art which can ensnare the senses and mess with the brain. I mostly deal with visual Genjutsu but there are also auditory Genjutsu which are slow acting but very dangerous. The first step towards a Genjutsu is to send your chakra in the opponent's chakra system and then manipulate it. Why don't you all try it." advised Kurenai.

The first person to get this exercise was Yakumo, because she was a Genjutsu user, the second one was Shino when he was able to inject his chakra through his insects into Kurenai's chakra coils.

Naruto did not have any way to do so, so he decided to ask his tenant and partner.

"What do you think Kurama, Yamato, how will I do this exercise? Yakumo uses her paintings, Shino used his bugs, how to I do it?" asked a frustrated Naruto.

Kurama smiled at his tenant. After such a long time, Naruto began to show the emotions he had bottled up as a child who grew neglected. His emotions always made Kurama smile, which was also shared by Yamato. Smiling, Kurama said," **Well brat, chakra can be sent through your parts. That Yakumo girl infuses her paint and painting with her chakra, while the Shino boy injects his chakra through his bugs which eat chakra. The only other way to do so would be by handseals, or by Yamato.** "

Naruto was confused, how could he use Yamato to cast Genjutsu? Yamato laughed at Naruto's confused expression before explaining," My physical form is made up of your chakra. As a result, I can infuse yin chakra to anything that touches me. You can put people under Genjutsu by either cutting them with my edge, or you can infuse the surroundings with chakra through me. I can even infuse light with chakra which can be used to cast Genjutsu on anyone who looks at my blade."

Naruto was really impressed by the idea and a water mirror came to his mind, you can see and touch the reflection, but not the real thing." Thank you Yamato, you have given me a great idea." spoke an excited Naruto before leaving the mindscape, leaving two smiling tenants behind.

Opening his eyes, he looked at Kurenai who was expecting him to invade her chakra coils with Genjutsu chakra. Naruto grinned and pulled out his sword while saying," Look closely Kurenai-sensei. Let's see if you can detect the Genjutsu I place on you."

The rest of his team waited for a moment before Shino threw a punch at Naruto who was stupidly holding a drawn sword.

Suddenly, the Naruto who was holding the sword shattered like glass and the real Naruto appeared behind Kurenai while holding his sword at her neck, completely surprising her and scaring the astonishing his two teammates. Naruto looked in her eyes and said," Genjutsu: Kyoka Suigetsu (Genjutsu: Moon Water Mirror), a special Genjutsu that controls all the five senses of the victim and can be placed without much difficulty. Unbreakable until the Genjutsu is broken by destroying my Genjutsu image. It cannot be broken or defeated by normal release technique because the person normally uses deductive reasoning to detect a Genjutsu and this Genjutsu can bypass any deductive reasoning. For the people caught in this Genjutsu, anything done in the Genjutsu is completely real."

Kurenai was floored at the applications and power of such a Genjutsu. It looked like Naruto was truly a prodigy that comes once in a lifetime. Even if he did not have many Genjutsu, the one that he had could do anything. He completed Genjutsu training and became a master by only one strong Genjutsu, and this accomplishment made her very proud of him.

"That you did Naruto-san, looks like I don't have much to teach you. But I reckon that you won't use it much. It seems as though you consider Genjutsu beneath you." spoke Kurenai in a steely tone.

"I do not consider Genjutsu to be beneath me, but it makes me feel conflicted. Genjutsu is a perfect ninja tool, but I feel almost dirty when I use it, as if my whole being revolts to the idea of winning a fight unfairly." said Naruto. Taking a deep breath, he continues," I wish to train my Kenjutsu, if you will allow me."

Kurenai sighed and relieved Naruto. Naruto was working on two special moves for his Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu style. The first was Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu: Kuzuryusen (9 headed dragon flash). The types of attacks in Kenjutsu are; first, the Karatake (downward stroke), Kesagiri, the slantwise downward stroke to the shoulder), reverse Kesagiri, right Nagi (belly stroke), left Nagi (reverse belly stroke), right upward cut, left upward cut, and the Sakakaze,(upward stroke) and the stroke that pierces at the shortest range to the chest, the Tsuki. In all forms of Kenjutsu there is no killing technique that does not aim for one of those nine points. Naturally, the stances of defense were developed to correspond to these same nine points. But If you move with the godlike speed of the Hiten Mitsurugi style and strike at all nine points at once, there is no possibility of defense. This was the ultimate attack move of his style, and Naruto was looking forward to perfecting it.

Ninja used their chakra for everything, even in Kenjutsu, which was an insult to Kenjutsu in Naruto's opinion. It caused him to study all sorts of topics from the basics of swordsmanship, to high-level physics. With constant practice and hard work, he was able to use his Kenjutsu without chakra, in a way that would make a chakra user jealous. Kuzuryusen was an attack that cannot be avoided or blocked, except by the ultimate technique of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu.

Naruto took out Yamato and created ninety Kage Bunshin and gave them commands," All right everyone, take a clone and practice one of the vital cuts each, when the cut is perfected, dispel."

Naruto kept practicing for a while, and began to make headway with the technique. Using the data feedback from his clones, the stance and movement of Kuzuryusen began to become clear. Deciding to leave about fifty shadow clones to commit the technique to his muscle memory, he decided to rest.

AN- This is basically a filler chapter, the next one will be more exciting. The great fight with zabuza, as well as the situation in Konoha.

AN2- Kyoka Suigetsu is not his zanpakuto's ability, but a genjutsu he created on the spot by infusing his chakra with the light, air and sounds that touched his sword. The true Shikai will be revealed against Orochimaru in chunnin exams.

AN3- Thank you for your reviews


	8. Chapter 8

"Hello" - Human Talk

 **"Hello" - Bijuu/Summon Talk**

'Hello' - Human Thought

' **Hello' - Bijuu/Summon Thought**

Disclaimer- I do not own Naruto or Ruroni Kenshin.

Chapter 8

 **Apprentices, Calmed Wave and First Release**

After a fruitful day of training, the group sat down to eat dinner as a young boy came in and shot a disgusted look at the group of ninja before declaring," Why do you work so hard, you are all going to die in the end while fighting Gatou. My father never stood a chance against him, you can never defeat him."

"To alleviate the condition of the people in this country, a single man cannot make a lot of difference. To free this country, either you remove the source of pain or the country recovers its courage. Otherwise this country will never be free of their suffering." spoke Naruto sagely.

"What would you know about pain I bet you have all lived sheltered lives in that ninja village of yours you don't know what suffering is" the young boy yelled after Naruto had denied what they were doing was futile

Naruto suddenly picked Inari up by the scruff of his shirt and hoisted him until they were looking into each other's eyes," We do know about pain boy, but we just do not suffer through it. Do you want to know why?"

When Inari fearfully nodded Naruto continued," Because one does not suffer due to the pain, one suffers by his own choice. Pain can never be stopped since it is an inevitable part of our life, but the suffering is optional. When learning to walk, you do not simply give up after the first fall; otherwise you will never learn how to walk. Remember this, Gatou is not making you suffer, you are suffering by your own choice. You may feel the pain about losing your father, but you are not the only one, just the most privileged one. Your pain is nothing as compared to the other orphans in the town. Yet, they choose survival over suffering." Turning towards Anko, he said," I will be training for the night; don't wait up for me Anko-sensei." As he was leaving through the front door, he looked back at Inari and said," If a person decided to bear the pain for a cause higher than his own, the pain does not descend into suffering and fuels your determination. Channel your pain to a cause higher than yourself, and you will find the power to overcome every obstacle in your path." that said, Naruto left the house.

This speech inspired not just Inari, but also the other people on the table. They all could feel his passion and determination for a cause higher than himself. Inari decided to go back to his room to think about the things Naruto explained to him.

 **In the Village**

Naruto decided that training right now would do him no good since he was already exhausted from the training he did to learn Kuzuryusen; so he decided to visit the town in order to see the situation the country was in.

Looking around the place, he was disgusted at what Gatou did to the country. People of Wave were suffering to appease the greed of a piece of filth. This made him both mad and sad that a tyrant had the control of Wave Country. While Naruto was known to have a tight hold on his emotions before, the experience right now was pushing that seal to a breaking point. As he stalked through the paths of Wave Country, he came upon a curious sight.

Three thugs were surrounding a pair of young children while brandishing their swords. The actual curious thing was the way those children were holding two sticks in order to defend themselves. He was quite intrigued that the children who were just six years old were handling the sticks like a sword. As he looked at the eyes of the two children, one girl and one boy, he saw something very familiar. There was no fear, no sadness and no anger in their eyes, only a cold, hard determination that showed him that they would go to hell and back for their goals. The only thing left was to see their goals.

One of the thugs growled at them," You thought that you can steal from Gatou and bat up one of his people; and get away without any punishment? You got some nerve brats, just six years old and bating people."

The girl said," The food we stole was for the starving children in the orphanage, the thug we beat up was an asshole who liked to beat up people. When our parents were killed by Gatou six months before, we promised ourselves that we will protect Wave from Gatou, so that no other child has to live his life as an orphan. You can kill us here, but we will fight till our last breath."

Naruto was a person who had a very high standard; which was why he was not easily impressed. Yet the passion in the girl's voice impressed and pleased him to no end. Although the girl's male companion was silent, his eyes showed that he also would fight till the end, in order to free his country from the clutches of a foul creature like Gatou.

The thug did not like the confidence in the eyes of the two children and charged at them with a battle cry. They two children closed their eyes and waited for the pain, but the pain never came. As they opened their eyes, they say a tall person wearing a black hakama and haori with the kanji for Duty written on the haori in white. He was standing between the thugs and the two children while the thugs were frozen. As he sheathed his sword, the thugs fell to the ground while their heads rolled on the earth to lie at the children's feet.

The two children were mesmerized by the power displayed by the stranger as he looked at them, crystal blue eyes shining through his deep red-colored bangs. He asked with concern in a warm gentle tone," Are you children okay? If you are hurt, I'll heal you."

The children were flabbergasted at the concern in the voice of a total stranger. Living in the orphanage and the streets of Wave under the rule of a tyrant like Gatou made them very paranoid and the girl answered," We are fine mister, we must go now."

The timid voice touched with paranoia reached Naruto's heart and he could not help but show the sadness he felt at the hardships faced by the duo in front of them. Calling out to them he asked," Have you two eaten yet? And whatever you say, do not lie."

The two children looked at each other and shook their heads. Naruto came up to them and said," Then eat something first, I'll cook so do not worry about anything. I am also quite curious at the thoughts you two have, and I am certain that you two have a lot of questions for me. So let's get something to eat." The two children sheepishly nodded and followed the hakama wearing guy towards the forest.

Naruto liked home-cooked food for two specific reasons; one was that home-cooked food was healthier than any other junk food a person could buy. Secondly, Naruto did not go to any fast food joint in hi entire life. It was quite ironic that the Namikaze family who were complete ramen addicts had a boy who had yet to even taste ramen. This in turn made Naruto a fabulous cook who could cook a five star meal in the middle of nowhere. Naruto was hunting for a while in the forest because he skipped the dinner after his talk with Inari and felt a little hungry. Now that he had the two children with him. He knew exactly what to make. Taking a storage scroll from his hakama, he unsealed specific contents form his portable kitchen supplies and began to skin a pair of rabbits, who were unfortunate enough to get caught in his traps.

While cooking, he decided to introduce himself to the kids," My name is Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto, what are your names? After all, I cannot keep calling you kids."

The girl who had red hair similar to him spoke first," Shakugan Shana"

The boy with pale blond hair told his name," Urahara Kisuke"

"Shana-chan and Kisuke-kun huh! Well then, let's have our meal. I hope you like stew. I have more if you want seconds." Spoke Naruto in an unnaturally soft tone.

 **Inside Naruto' mindscape**

Kyuubi and Yamato were looking at the scene in front of them and shared a smile. They had tried a lot of ways for Naruto to open up his emotions, but none of their plans were successful. Now, watching Naruto interact with the two children in front of him bought joy to both of them.

 **Outside the Mindscape**

The red-haired samurai was talking to the two children for about an hour now and was delighted at the company provided by the two children.

Shana was a spitfire, quite similarly to his mother who had a nasty habit of punching first and asking questions later. But the thing that differentiated her from his mother was the controlled and composed way she acted. There was a certain calmness and lethal power in her that was waiting to be unleashed. Other than that, she was energetic and cheerful.

Kisuke on the other hand was laidback and flashy. His introduction would have given Jiraiya of the Sannin a run for his money. The special quality that Kisuke possessed was an overabundance of creativity and serious intelligence. He was so creative that if he was introduced to sealing, he would match many Uzumaki clan members. He had the potential to surpass Uzumaki Mito in sealing arts. If Orochimaru of the Sannin was an evil scientist, Kisuke was a super crazy scientist. He also had the perfect body for Kenjutsu, though his Kenjutsu would have to be on a much sedate pace than Naruto's and possibly Shana's.

The two kids were really happy to meet Naruto. After the introductions and food, paranoia bled out quickly and before they knew it, they were pleasantly chatting with Naruto. They had seen his strength yet they could not bring themselves to fear the redhead teen.

Shana for the first time in her life felt as if she was meeting her older sibling. The warmth and comfort Naruto showed them was unearthly to her and she wanted to live in his presence for her entire life. The person in front of her was starved with love himself, as she could see by his eyes; which was why he was able to understand her better than anyone. Kisuke was another orphan she met but he had parents for the first six years of his life, which was why he was an orphan for a lesser amount of time. It did not matter if she never saw Naruto-nii again; she would always cherish this meal they all shared.

Kisuke on the other hand was not only happy which was an improvement in the six months since he lost his parents to Gatou's thugs, but also fascinated by the elder teen. As a young genius, Kisuke always found himself isolated from the other kids, but the teen in front of them was not only smart but also quite strong as he was able to grasp from the way he used his sword. Swords always fascinated Kisuke and while he was a slightly laidback individual, a sword or similar object completely changed his persona into a confident, alert and brave mindset. He had grown up reading the stories of ninja and warriors but he always found ninja as nothing more than sophisticated thugs for hire. Samurai on the other hand always fascinated him and the person in front of him was clearly a samurai. Deciding to raise the question, he spoke up.

"Naruto-san, are you a samurai?" asked Kisuke timidly. Shana also perked up at that and cocked her head to the side in question.

Naruto chuckled well naturedly and answered," Partly, I am a ninja right now but I plan to resign soon. Ninja never suited me and I always wanted to be a samurai. As I learnt from many books, I learnt one important fact; there are two kinds of samurai, the samurai of lord and those of sword. The first category of samurai, serve under a feudal lord and remain loyal to him and his family for the generations till they die. The other category serves the sword. Their sword only lifts in the service of mankind and nothing more. Then there are samurai who have the skills of one but not the heart of one. The final class of samurai may or may not have the skills of samurai, but they have the heart of a samurai. Following the code is difficult, but the belief in the code must be set in stone before one sets his way on the path of samurai. Why do you ask though do you two want to be samurai?" finished Naruto with a hint of amusement.

The two children ducked their heads a little before nodding. Naruto grinned a wide grin before speaking;" In that case, I shall help you become great samurai." This caused the eyes of the two children to widen in surprise.

"To tell you the truth, when I first saw you two, I was thinking of simply helping you and being on my way. But the second I saw your eyes, I realized that I have found some great children worthy of being my apprentices. You both were young, less armed than the assailants, outnumbered and possibly less skilled than your opponents. Yet, you showed no fear, anxiety, anger or sadness, just cold, hard determination that matched mine. As the tradition goes, I Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto decide to take Shakugan Shana and Urahara Kisuke as my apprentices in the ways of samurai." Spoke Naruto.

The two children were shocked and absolutely happy. The person they both admired even though they had not spent much time together was offering them a way to become stronger and samurai which they both admired. With tears in their eyes, they tackle Naruto while hugging him and whispering thanks all the time.

A Kage Bunshin came forward which attracted the attention of the two children and informed Naruto before throwing a small scroll at him and dispelling," They are ready."

Naruto cleared his throat to have the attention of the two children before saying,' Samurai have a tradition to gift their apprentices with a wooden bokken when they first meet them. I did not have any bokken with me except my own. That is why, the clone made these for you."

Naruto unsealed two pale bokken from the sealing scroll and handed them to the children. They had not received any gifts from anyone in quite some time which made them hug their new sensei again.

It was quite late at night, so Naruto left them at the orphanage for the time being and returned to Tazuna's house whistling a merry tune. He would openly admit today as the happiest day in his short life.

 **Next Morning**

The other Gennin; and the two Jounin senseis gathered in the forest to train for the day. Naruto was the strongest Gennin till now and the sensei decided for the Gennin to have a spar with Naruto.

"Alright maggots, this will accurately show us your combat abilities, but remember that this is not a battle but only a friendly spar. Don't fight with the intent to kill or you will regret it." finished Anko with a sinister tone.

Kurenai continued," First spar will be between Naruto and Sakura; Begin."

Naruto and Sakura took their positions opposite to each other. Instead of using a sword, Naruto had a bokken with him strapped to his waist like the word he used yesterday. Sakura was nervous when Naruto's voice came," Do not be nervous Sakura-san; this spar is not a way to beat you, but rather a way to help you improve. You have less stamina and chakra than me and while your control is amazing for a Gennin, mine is absolute. On the paper, this match-up would mean an instant defeat to you and if it was not a spar, than it would have been a beat-down. I will correct you with any flaws, but come at me with all your effort."

Sakura came at him with a straight punch but Naruto was easily able to dodge it. She followed her punch with some of the academy combos while Naruto dodged. Those combos were textbook perfect but lacked power and thought. Naruto frowned, as these flaws could have killed her in future against any missing-nin. The last punch that Sakura threw was quickly caught by Naruto's hand and her arm was twisted behind her back, which quickly ended the spar.

Sakura slumped as she wanted to become strong like him, but was unable to even touch him at any point of the fight. The other Gennin looked at Naruto, expecting some sort of negative and humiliating comment. Naruto commented," Well, that was enlightening. Your stance is rigid, though your punches lack power. Your Taijutsu I at a fresh Gennin level but, it would be better if you learn a different fighting style. You also did not use traps or any other skills which could be detrimental for your growth as a ninja. I recommend that you seek out Maito Gai on your return to Konoha and learn Goken from him. He may be eccentric but he knows more about Taijutsu than anyone. Goken will suit you better and help you build a muscle tone."

Sakura looked hopeful at that and walked up to Kurenai. Soon Hinata took her place in front of him. Her timid and shy nature warned Naruto that something was wrong with her. Someone who is often hurt by something tend to have an aversion to that object. Naruto decided to reserve her judgment until he had a chance to test Hinata.

Hinata started by sending a Jyuuken strike to his chest, which was easily dodged. She spun on her toes and sent a strike to his chin. Naruto ducked the strike and hit her on her elbows which instantly turned numb. Hinata quickly separated from the brief skirmish but looked on in disappointment when she was unable to lift her elbows. Naruto saw a few tears leaking out from her eyes, though he understood that there were not tears of pain, but rather tears from shame. She was ashamed to not even land a single strike on him.

"Hinata, for the most basic truth and observation, you Taijutsu was pathetic…" at this Kurenai looked outraged, others looked surprised and Hinata looked more miserable,"… your stance was not firm, your strikes were sloppy and you were aiming at the most useless places. But there is something I wish to ask you."

Hinata wiped her eyes and looked at Naruto while she stuttered," What do you wish to ask Naruto-san?"

"Do you have many painful memories associated with Jyuuken?" enquired a serious Naruto.

This really surprised everyone listening for it was the most unexpected question. The thought of lying but the thought was crushed by Naruto's sharp, commanding voice," And do not think about lying, for I know when someone lies to me."

Hinata timidly nodded her head to which Naruto sighed," I see, looks like your Jyuuken being pathetic is not really your fault but rather your teacher's. If they had handled your training differently, things would have been different."

Everyone was surprised at this. Naruto continued," The Jyuuken is not suited to her body which is naturally flexible since it requires a firm stance. When she was unable to show the correct stances and technique for Jyuuken, they never tried to understand the problem and kept pushing her, which probably caused her to develop an aversion to hurting others and a subconscious fear of Jyuuken. This did not help and soon, her training completely suffered. If her training had been handled differently, she would have been the most fearsome young kunoichi in training. Her skill would have surpassed even the most accomplished users of Jyuuken. There is a method to fix her mindset, but till then, she would have to learn something other than Jyuuken. Her flexibility would really benefit her if she learns Hebi-style Taijutsu." Anko grinned at that and before anyone could say anything, she dragged Hinata with her to god knows where.

Naruto grinned sheepishly which seemed like an alien expression on his face and said," I believe that I have created a monster."

 **Next Day**

Today was the day Zabuza was expected to attack the bridge. In the last two weeks, they were able to train a little and improve upon their faults. Hinata had an intermediate grasp of Hebi-Style Taijutsu which was very impressive considering her almost negligible Taijutsu prowess. Her personality also improved and she held herself with more confidence.

The other Gennin had also improved and Naruto created the ultimate technique for his sword style the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki (Heaven's Soaring Dragon Flash) which is the most powerful technique of the Hiten Mitsurugi School. Normally, when using Battoujutsu, the right leg in front of the left leg, however, in this technique, at the last moment before the attack, Naruto puts his left leg in front of his right leg before drawing his sword. This technique is most likely the one flawless technique of the Hiten Mitsurugi School which could even defeat the Kuzuryusen by slashing the opponent before he could even strike with the Kuzuryusen. If by any chance the initial blow is blocked, the air is displaced by the power and impact of the first, blocked blow, drawing the air around the opponent with centripetal force which draws the opponent in. The second blow uses the pent up force from the first to accelerate the blow, thus hitting them with a more powerful hit the second time around. This was the technique Naruto was really proud of. Kuzuryusen was the ultimate killing technique but Amakakeru is the ultimate defensive technique.

Naruto also spent a lot of time with Shana and Kisuke, training them in Kenjutsu and other things like cooking, reading and such. He also showed them the correct way of unlocking one's chakra. Using the method devised by Kurama, he checked their affinities. Shana had a fire affinity which was stronger than any Uchiha while Kisuke had a water affinity but decided that the elemental Ninjutsu was not something he was interested in. There Kenjutsu was coming along nicely as he showed them the basics of swordsmanship.

Today, Naruto decided to keep watch over Tazuna's family because there was a chance that Gatou sends his men to look for a hostage in form of Tsunami or Inari. Naruto was lying in his bead when certain noises started to come from downstairs. He blinked his eyes as his brain rushed to catch up with what was happening.

"Stop, if you hurt him, I'll bite my tongue off." Tsunami yelled from outside. Naruto heard two men grunt before one responded.

"Lucky brat, you get to live. Let's go we only need one of them." the man said before Naruto heard Inari start to sob.

As this happened, his mind caught the position of the sun and the fact that it was much later in the day than he had thought. So, Naruto crept out of his futon, noticing he was still dressed, and peered out of the window down to the dock that surrounded the house.

He saw the two men, one of which had Tsunami in a hold and the other looking at the crying Inari, both had swords strapped to their waists. One had the oddest assortment of tattoos littering his body with an eye patch and a rolled down shirt bunched up at his waist leading to zebra style pants. The other wore an overcoat with a black hat and beige pants with tattoos around his eyes.

Just as soon as Naruto took this in, Inari let loose a loud cry, causing Naruto to smirk at the kid's renewed courage. "Wait!" he yelled at the two.

"Looking at her pretty skin really makes me want to cut something kid. You shouldn't be an annoyance." the man with the tattoos said.

"Get away from my mom!" Inari yelled, ignoring the man's threat and charging forward. The two men smirked while looking at the kid's blind charge with amusement.

Naruto watched as Inari approached the two men. He was five steps away when the one with the overcoat said, "Cut him." and both of the wannabe samurai took stances with their hands on their swords. He had reached three steps away when they both started to unsheathe their swords in preparation for their swings. He was one step away when Tsunami yelled out, "Inari!" and both of them men swung their swords at the kid who dared to interfere with their job, one with a happy smile on his face, the other with indifference.

Before the swords could even touch Inari, Naruto appeared in front of them, holding his sword in front of him blocking the thugs' swords with it. Naruto looked up at them and stared with his unnerving golden eyes. With a tone full of disgust, he started speaking," A pair of wannabe samurai who don't abide by the code, work for a tyrant and attacks innocent people for their own greed. People like you disgust me and it would be a service to the world if I eliminate scum like you. Goodbye trash."

Without missing a beat, he used Shunpo to appear behind them after removing Tsunami from their grasp. With a quick slash of Yamato, Naruto separated the heads of both the thug.

He made two Kage Bunshin and turned to Tsunami and Inari, both of whom were looking at Naruto in awe at how fast he had gotten them away from the two samurai.

He spoke then, his voice slightly warmer than before, "Good job Inari. Your father would be proud." Inari smiled widely from Naruto's praise, before he turned to Tsunami," Tsunami-san, is there any place you can go hide until this day is over with?" he asked as he looked over at the matriarch that had been watching the house.

Tsunami nodded, "Then please head there now, these shadow clones will protect you until you reach there and act as guards." he said as he made another ten clones and sent Tsunami and Inari on their way

He felt remorse for killing the two but he couldn't leave them alive. They were enemies and had already tried to kill a person under his protection, a child no less. They were dead the moment they swung at Inari. He wanted to save the people but some people are simply irredeemable. He sighed before pushing them into the water and having his two clones wash the blood away before it stained as he looked over towards the bridge. He would have to deal with his emotions later, right now, his team needed him. He jumped up into the trees and quickly Shunpoed towards the bridge.

 **Bridge**

Anko was having a lot of difficulty. Zabuza was in full health and was actively pushing her back. He grinned at her and yelled," Where is that brat of yours. He thought that he could challenge one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. You are weak and he is a coward. When he comes here, I will enjoy decapitating him and ripping him apart. My sword will drink his blood."

"Then why wait?" a tiny whisper was heard by Zabuza. The whisper was behind him and awfully close for his comfort. With widened eyes, he jumped and there he was. The boy in question, wearing a hakama, holding onto a katana with one hand while the other was on his waist was standing right behind Zabuza. He had blood-red hair and crystalline blue eyes. The sword in his hand looked like a normal katana but the blade was perfect. The style was simple but the sword was by no means normal. Naruto spoke again.

"Do you want to fight as a ninja or as a swordsman? I am fine with either but the simple condition would be that if you fight as a ninja, you can use anything as your advantage, but as a swordsman, you won't use any Ninjutsu, Genjutsu or ny other technique. We will fight on even terms."

Zabuza chuckled which soon turned into a manic laughter. Still laughing, he said," You think that ou are my equal boy. I have killed so many people that my hands are now completely red, a person like you who has yet to kill can never hope to consider himself as my equal. You do not know what the true nature of a ninja's job is. A brat like you who think that being a ninja is a game can never hope to match me.

Naruto reached behind his head and untied his hitai-ate that was tied there. His hitai-ate fell to the floor as he said," Then it is a good thing that I am not a ninja but a samurai. I have killed before but the thing is, I do not need to kill to understand what a ninja is. I will however kill more people than you if they are a threat to the world."

He was suddenly pulled in his mindscape.

 **Mindscape**

Naruto stood before Yamato and Kyuubi. They both looked at him as Yamato asked him," You do know that he is just battle loving and not an evil person. How do you plan to fight him without killing him?"

"That is something I had been thinking. I cannot take him lightly for he will kill me, but I can also not take him seriously or I might kill him. What should I do?" asked a desperate Naruto.

" **Yamato knows a way by which you can achieve this. But this will drain a lot of energy and you might become unconscious after the release is reversed.** " replied a grim Kurama.

Yamato explained," I am a part of you. With a certain command, you would be able to release the power inside me. The released state would be based on the predominating emotion you used when you made me."

"So what is the command?" asked Naruto.

 **Bridge**

Naruto opened his eyes and grasped the sword with both hands and said," Cut with Judgment: Yamato."

What happened next completely surprised the various people on the bridge. Haku, Zabuza's apprentice, who was trying to hit Hinata, looked on as the mist completely cleared and the blade in the red-headed teen's hand lengthened to the size of an o-katana, while the guard colors were revered. On closer inspection, there was a faint image of a Chinese dragon on the blade. Finally, the blade started to glow a soft blue color. Whatever happened to the blade, it did not look good for Zabuza.

Naruto heard Yamato speak in his mind,' In this form, I can cut anything that you want to cut and kill. If you don't want to kill someone in this state, my edge will shift and I will turn into a Sakabatou. Lets get to work."

Naruto nodded and dashed at Zabuza with high Jounin speed. Zabuza raised his blade in defence by the virtue of instinct and the two swords were in a deadlock.

'Who is this kid?' thought Zabuza.' There are very less people who can match me in strength and defeat me in speed. For a Gennin and someone so young, he is really skilled in Kenjutsu.'

Naruto shifted his weight to the side and deflected the heavier sword, breaking the deadlock. With a quick movement, he spun on his heal and attacked Zabuza's side with his sword. Pain exploded in Zabuza's ribs as the o-katana struck them, breaking a few. Zabuza coughed up blood to hear a shout.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu: Hiryusen (Flying Heaven Govern Sword-Style: Flying Dragon Flash)" before he was hit by the pommel of the sword with the force of a Suiryuudan. Looking up, he saw the teen dashing towards him before spinning like a corkscrew and shouting.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu: Ryukansen Tsumuji (Flying Heaven Govern Sword-Style: Dragon Wind up Flash Hair Spin)

In an instant, a searing pain exploded in his neck as his knees gave out and he fell, trying to keep himself upright by the use of his sword. The blade cracked after blocking the first strike and the deadlock. He had just repaired it with the blood of a pair of nameless thugs Haku saw. His opponents blade however was in pristine condition, as if it was just forged. He marveled at the artistic design.' If I live through this, I would definitely ask the brat where he got his sword from.

"The fight was great Zabuza-san, you are a good swordsman. Unfortunately, I am just faster than you." spoke Naruto with respect clearly visible in his tone. Anko, Kurenai and the other gennin except Kiba and Hinata, who by the way were trapped in Haku's ice mirrors goggled at the show of swordsmanship shown by Naruto. He did not give Zabuza a single chance to hit him, blocked every attack Zabuza dished out and completely outclassed him yet there was clear respect in his tone and words.

"No shit brat that was some fine Kenjutsu you got. Whoever trained you must be good. But what I don't understand is why you haven't killed me yet. I am an enemy shinobi…"

"But you are also innocent" interrupted Naruto. Zabuza was confused; everyone knew that he was a murderer and no one had ever called him innocent.

"I can see it Zabuza-san, you have never killed for pleasure, and always grieved for the innocents whom you had to kill due to the orders. You may think that you are a murderer, but in reality, you are a shinobi. The only times you actually killed innocents was when orders were given, and I do not fault you for it. You have a good heart, even if your deeds are not pure. The next attack will have enough power to knock you out but not kill as long as I do not want to do it. Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu: Kuzuryusen (Flying Heaven Govern Sword-Style: Nine Headed Dragon Flash)"

Naruto quickly dashed at Zabuza but before the sword could hit him, Haku appeared between Zabuza and Naruto and took the brunt of Kuzuryusen. Naruto knew that the technique had knocked out Haku but before either could react, clapping sounded at the end of the bridge. Naruto looked over to where a short balding grey-haired man with glasses and a cane as he looked at Zabuza and Naruto with a condescending gaze. The thing that both shinobi noticed though, was the huge mob of thugs that were standing behind the man.

"Gatou, what do you want?" Zabuza said as Naruto turned his body so he was facing the thugs.

"Well, you see Zabuza. The plan has changed a little. Well, not for me, since I planned to do this since the beginning. You see, I never planned to pay you Zabuza." Gatou said as he talked in a voice that just spoke of how little respect he had of Zabuza, "This is how it is, I can't hire regular ninja since they are too expensive and will probably betray me because of their loyalty." Gatou said while making air quotes about the word loyalty, "So, I get missing-nin like you who are easy to take care of afterwards. I let you weaken yourself by fighting the people I need you to then I kill you with numbers. See, it costs me nothing since I already pay these guys and they get a huge reward for killing you." Gatou said.

"Uzumaki Naruto, it would seem I no longer have a reason to want that bridge builder dead. Hence, I no longer have a reason to fight you." Zabuza said. Naruto just nodded as he looked at the thugs but a part of him was itching to kill every single one of the thugs.

Naruto whispered but his voice was clearly heard by everyone on the bridge," So you are Gatou; the lowest of scum, the person who ruined a beautiful country like Wave, a person who sees people as mere stepping stones. You are a piece of shit that does not deserve to live. Which is the reason you death is inevitable."

Everyone looked at Naruto; Zabuza could not believe that this was the tone of the same brat who decided to spare a murderer like him, the Konoha ninja could not believe that Naruto would actually be willing to kill someone, Tazuna was just happy to be alive, and relieved that he had hired a great swordsman like him.

Suddenly Inari's shout gathered everyone's attention, as they saw the entire village wielding weapons waiting at the other end of the bridge. Naruto looked at the crowd and found both Kisuke and Shana among them looking at him. Closing his eyes he turned back to the thugs.

Gatou was looking smug as he had seen the two brats this swordsman was looking at. He gained every thug's attention by shouting," Anyone who brings me the head of one of those two brats will get a bonus." All the ninja and the villagers were confused as to why Gatou was demanding the head of the two children, while the said children were confident that their teacher would never let any harm come to them at the hands of Gatou.

Before anyone could move, an unholy amount of killer intent was released by Naruto, which made even Zabuza buckle up. They looked at the source to find Naruto with a bluish black aura and golden amber eyes which spoke of nothing but promised pain and death.

Taking a step forward, Naruto spoke in a clear voice," Threaten innocents and I feel pain, threaten my way and I feel sadness, but you dared to threaten my will, which will only bring you death."

Taking a Battoujutsu stance, he looked at Gatou with hateful eyes before saying," Ready or not, here I come." With those words, the massacre began.

 **Konoha Ninja POV**

They had seen Naruto move with Jounin level speed, but now, they saw him using Kage-level speed and disappeared from view, simultaneously reappearing among the thugs. They watched as he decapitated heads, bifurcated bodies and removed limbs from the thugs in the blink of an eye. They watched this process go for a few more minutes, before the only people standing were Gatou and himself.

 **Gatou's POV**

Gatou would never admit to being scared before, but now, he felt as though he was facing the Shinigami himself. The boy vanished and reappeared many times, each time killing five to six thugs simultaneously. The sword was glowing with a soft blue glow, which he would see as the symbol of death until he dies, which would not be long as the person who was killing the thugs seemed to be done with the thugs. He still did not understand how a single person could take out a force of two hundred and fifty thugs within minutes? It should have been impossible.

 **General POV**

Zabuza and a now awakened Haku were looking at the massacre with a look of indifference on the later and a look of giddiness on the former.

"How is he killing them so fast? This should be impossible" yelled Kiba.

Zabuza grew annoyed that someone was interrupting this work of art. Deciding to answer the question, he explained," He is using Battoujutsu brat, can't you see the way he is using the sword."

Kiba was confused," What is Battoujutsu?"

Anko decided to answer this question," It is a special form of Kenjutsu where the swordsman uses godlike speed to accelerate his sword at near blinding speeds. The samurai of Tetsu no Kuni use a simpler form of Battoujutsu called Iaijutsu but it is still strong. Very less people can actually use Battoujutsu now, since Iaijutsu is easier to learn.

Gatou looked at the blood covered figure in front of him, which absolutely terrified him, and he could do nothing but beg for his life. Falling to his knees, he begged," Please spare my life, I will give you anything, money, wine, women, just name your price. I will give you anything for sparing me."

Naruto looked at the pathetic, vile human in front of him and could only feel hatred and disgust. Taking a deep breath, he looked at Gatou with an icy crystal-blue gaze as compared to his previous burning golden-amber gaze and said," You can raise a dog on food, a human on money, but you can never hope to raise a wolf, do you know why?"

Gatou shivered and shook his head," Then I shall answer it for you, a wolf works for his food, with his pack. Wolf is never meant to eat unearned food or sacrifice his pack. You committed two sins today, you offered me food while threatening my pack, for that, you must die."

With that, Naruto pierced Gatou's head using his sword killing him on spot. Extracting his sword from the corpse of the vile piece of scum, he looked at his blade and laughed," So this is your first release Yamato, quite impressive if I must say. Though you were right about this release, it is very draining."

With that, he fell unconscious.

AN1- Thank you for your lovely reviews.

AN2- Shakugan Shana is from Shakugan no Shana. Kisuke becomes a shinigami after his death so this can be his life.

AN3- Longest chapter till now. Next chapter will include return to Konoha, Familiy time and Chunnin exam prelude.

Hope you like this chapter


	9. Chapter 9

"Hello" - Human Talk

 **"Hello" - Bijuu/Summon Talk**

'Hello' - Human Thought

' **Hello' - Bijuu/Summon Thought**

Disclaimer- I do not own Naruto or Ruroni Kenshin.

Chapter 9

 **End of Wave, Return and Family Problems**

The second he opened his eyes, he was blinded by the bright light from the nearby window. Naruto was lying in a bed, probably in the upper rooms of Tazuna's house. He felt tired and lethargic.

'You would feel that way for sometime brat, you used a lot of energy. While your reserve is gigantic, your body is not used to channeling such large amounts of chakra. You still have to learn the correct way of using my abilities. When you don't want to cut, I can only cut non-living things. But when you want me to cut, I can cut anything, even the fabric of space and time.' explained Yamato.

Naruto was goggle-eyed at that. A blade so sharp that it could even cut the fabric of space and time was something unheard of, which was something rare in ninja world. Naruto vowed to master Yamato's abilities as soon as possible. Getting up from the bed he moved downstairs to the living room.

The two teams were eating lunch on the dining table, while Inari was helping his other serve lunch. This was the happiest Naruto had seen Inari till now. As he entered the room, the people stopped eating and looked at him. Naruto noticed that Zabuza and Haku were also sitting among the others. The constant staring started to unnerve Naruto as he asked in annoyance.

"What the hell are you looking at?"

Everyone quickly moved back to their food as he went to the kitchen to fix himself a quick breakfast before training. Tsunami was already present in the kitchen when he entered. As he entered, she looked at him and gave a bright smile and said," What are you doing here Naruto-san? Are you hungry? If you are, I can fix something for you."

Naruto just held up his hands and replied," You don't have to worry about that Tsunami-san. I am a little hungry but you do not have to fix something for e. I am quite used to cooking my own meals so it won't be a problem."

Tsunami pouted and said in a grumbling tone," But I want to cook something for the person who not only protected my father, but also freed the Wave from the clutches of a tyrant. You also gave the Wave Country something that we had lost."

Naruto looked confused at that and asked," What would that be Tsunami-san?"

Tsunami gave a gentle smile again and replied in a soft tone," Hope Naruto-san. You returned the hope we had lost after the death of my husband. And for that, I thank you. Now, what would you like to have?"

Naruto thought for a moment before saying," Some yakikazana (Grilled Fish) and tsukemono (Pickled Vegetables) sounds good. I would also prefer some rice and natto (Fermented Soy beans) if you have some."

"Just wait for about ten minutes Naruto-san. I will send it with Inari." Thanking Tsunami, he entered the living room and sat down on a chair. Leaning back, he closed his eyes as he felt the stress of being a ninja weigh down on him. He wanted to end this charade as soon as possible, but could not leave before the Chunnin Exams so as to scope out talent and gain valuable experience.

Feeling someone's eyes on him, he turns to see Zabuza staring at him with n intense expression. Naruto looked at him and the staring contests begin, drawing the attention of everyone. Zabuza asked seriously," Where did you get your sword brat? It is hard to find a sword capable of matching one of the seven Mist Swords, yet yours was able to completely shatter one of them. Whoever made your sword must be a master smith. I have to get a replacement for my sword or at least repair it."

Unsealing Yamato with the sheath, Naruto looked at Zabuza and said," My sword was created by myself. Through a complex procedure and channeling my chakra through the materials during the forging process helped to create this thing of beauty."

Zabuza was excited and asked," Will you repair and modify my sword? We are leaving to aid the Kiri Rebellion and I cannot trust my sword if it can break easily."

Naruto shrugged and replied," Sure, I don't have any other time-consuming work. With Gatou gone, there are little chances of Tazuna being attacked. I have enough time to modify your sword."

As the conversation died down, the Gennin teams left the room to train. All of them were in high spirits as they did some warm-up exercises. Sakura and Hinata decided that it was the time to approach Naruto for some help. Hinata began," Naruto-san, will you be willing to help us become stronger?"

Naruto looked the two girls as they approached him. He had predicted their request but assumed that they will ask for his help once the teams are back in Konoha. Noticing their determination to be stronger, he smiled a little and said," I can start here but the completion needs to be in Konoha. The first thing needed you need to do is increase your speed. Hinata, you will need an increased arm speed and reaction time, Sakura would need an increased leg speed and reaction time. I know the exact way to help you achieve it."

Naruto went inside his room and used his Creation of all things to create a set of gloves for Hinata. Using a brush, he carefully inscribed resistance and repair seals on them. Coming out, he handed the gloves to Hinata and began to inscribe seals on Sakura's shoes.

"What are these gloves for Naruto-san?" stuttered Hinata.

"These are training gloves with resistance and repair seals on them. Add a small amount of chakra and these seals would make your hands feel resistance whenever you move them. They will increase your strike speed. By the way, how much time will it take to complete the bridge now, Anko-sensei?" inquired Naruto.

Anko shrugged her shoulders and replied," Two days tops gaki, after that, a return trip to Konoha."

Naruto looked up from his seals and said," Some people will be accompanying us on our return journey to Konoha; I hope you don't mind Anko-sensei."

Anko simply said," We shall see brat."

 **Two Days Later**

Team 8 and Team 11 were ready to return back to Konoha. Inari was a little sad that they would have to go but he quickly smiled, remembering his self-made promise to never cry. The bridge was completed in the morning and would be ready to function by tomorrow, which was why the Konoha teams were leaving.

Zabuza and his apprentice, a beautiful girl who went by the name Haku, decided to lend their strength directly in the Kiri Revolution. While Hinata had suggested to them that they could join Konoha, they declined. Their dream was to see their country free and would do anything to achieve this dream.

Speaking of Naruto, he was still missing as the other shinobi stood at the bridge. They were waiting for him for two hours now and were getting annoyed. Anko was also grumbling under her breathe and saying," If he makes some lame excuse like Kakashi, I will send my snakes after him.

The boy in question was sealing some stuff in a scroll as he turned to two small figures. Giving a warm smile, he said," Let's go."

The figures perked up at that and followed their teacher and brother figure after a small shout of," Hai sensei."

Sakura ran her eyes through the crowd to get a glimpse of Naruto but was unable to find anything before a sharp, clear voice pierced all the noise," Coming through."

Everyone looked as Naruto came forward as the people of Wave cheered and chanted his name. Accompanying him were two children, a redhead girl and a blonde boy. Both the children were carrying backpacks while Naruto had a sealing scroll with him. Anko looked at the two children and commented," So, these are the people who will be accompanying us."

Naruto gave a smile and said," That is quite correct Anko-sensei, the girl is Shakugan Shana and the boy is Urahara Kisuke. Shana had no one to name her so she named herself based on her flame colored eyes. These two are my apprentices."

Anko looked unsure and questioned," You do know that a ninja cannot take an apprentice until he is a Tokubetsu Jounin, right? In that case, how will you take these brats as apprentices?"

This caused Shana and Kisuke to lower their heads in sadness. Naruto however smiled and replied," I have already found a way around that condition. There will be no problems in me taking these two as apprentices."

This cheered up Kisuke and Shana as the Konoha teams, plus two children took off for Konoha.

"What's the name of the bridge Tazuna?" one of the workers asked.

"How about the Super Awesome Tazuna Bridge?" he offered, the crowd booed his suggestion before Tsunami spoke quietly, "The Great Naruto Bridge. In honor of the young man who brought hope back to the people of this country." she said.

The crowd was silent for a moment before they burst into cheers for the name and Tazuna carved the name into the plaque at the end of the bridge.

 **In Konoha**

Namikaze Minato, The Yellow Flash, Yondaime Hokage of Konoha and the fastest man of Elemental Nations was having a boring day. He was stuck on a desk filling countless stacks of paperwork as he contemplated towards his life. He was still wondering just why he took this job; he was a ninja not some paper-pushing clerk. As his thought about his family, he smiled. His wife was ecstatic at the return of two of her children from their first C-rank mission and decided to give them a gift for their first successful C-rank outside the village.

Then his thoughts shifted to their eldest son Naruto. According to Anko, he was quite good at Taijutsu and Fuinnjutsu though Minato could never figure out his strengths. He assumed that Naruto also specialized in Ninjutsu like the rest of the family. Minato and Mito were lightning users, Tomoe and Kushina had a high water affinity but he was unable to remember Naruto's affinity.

"Hmm, looks like once Naruto returns, I will have to give Naruto some lessons. He would not be able to perform on the same level as Mito or Tomoe but he might be able to perform well in the Chunnin Exams. Come to think of it, it would be the first training session Naruto will have with the whole family. I bet it would be memorable." spoke Minato, unaware that it would be the most memorable training session.

 **Namikaze Uzumaki Household**

Namikaze-Uzumaki Kushina was working in the kitchen when she remembered that Naruto was to return today from his first C-rank mission. Cursing herself at forgetting this, she decided to get him a gift. Trying to think of something, she just drew up a blank as to what he would like. Her other children were in their rooms so she called them down.

"Mito, Tomoe, come to the kitchen, I need to ask you something." Kushina called out.

Mito and Tomoe quickly came down to see their mother lost in thought. As she noticed them, she smiled before asking," Could you two tell me about something Naruto would like? He will return today from his C-rank and I wish to give him a present like I gave you two."

At this, the twins remembered what they got from their mother. Tomoe got a set of tri-prong kunai similar to his father, though without a sealing formula, Mito on the other hand got a lightning jutsu. As they both thought about it, they realized that they did not know much about their elder brother. Even if they don't respect him like an elder brother, they must at least know his likes.

Tomoe decided to use deductive reasoning based on what he saw of their brother," Well, kunai and shuriken are out because he dislikes them, I do not know if he uses some other weapon. An elemental Ninjutsu would have been the obvious choice, but since he did not train with us, we do not know his elemental affinity. Lastly comes clothes, but I have never seen him wearing anything but a hakama and haori. I suggest that we present him with a lightning and a water jutsu. He would select one of those based on his affinity. If we know the jutsu, we can help him learn it."

Both Mito and Kushina liked the idea and quickly went to find some suitable jutsu for him. Unfortunately they would be sorely disappointed at their choices.

 **Konoha Gates**

Naruto and the other gennin along with the two six year old children were at the gates of Konoha. While the other Gennin were amused, Naruto's eye was twitching. The reason of this annoyance was right in front of him. The eternal Chunnin Izumo and Kotetsu were sleeping at the gates. They were drooling in their sleep which seemed to piss Naruto off. Suddenly, his Uzumaki blood sang as a devious scheme came into his mind. Using the supplies Naruto and the other gennin had, Naruto made a trap which would hoist the two quickly if they were to fall on the ground. Once the trap was set, Naruto used his wind chakra and turned the wooden chairs into sawdust.

Before anyone could, the two Chunnin were screaming as they were hoisted in the air by their legs at scary speed. Anko quickly cut the wire with a well placed kunai as the two Chunnin came crashing down on the ground. Groaning in pain, they looked up to see a smirking Naruto.

"Try not to fall asleep when you are on duty." smirked Naruto as the teams and children went through the gate.

 **Hokage Tower**

Naruto was just outside the chamber of Hokage as he crouched down to be at eye level with Kisuke and Shana and explained.

"Now listen you two, don't wander for some time and wait for me to come out. I will be back soon."

As Kisuke and Shana nodded, Naruto patted their heads and went inside to give his report. Namikaze Minato was waiting for them as he looked at the gennin. Noting the small injuries sustained by Kiba Minato asked with concern.

"Did something happen on your C-rank mission? I hope it was nothing major."

Anko simply laughed and said," If you consider the C-rank converting into an A-rank, facing two B-rank, and two A-rank missing-nin, one of whom is famous as Demon of the Mist and freeing a country from tyrant as minor complications, then yes, something minor happened."

Minato could only yell with shock," WHAT! And you did not think to call for back-up, return from the mission and at least inform me that the mission had been bumped up to A-rank."

Anko laughed nervously and said," Um… we had it under control Hokage-sama."

Minato looked unimpressed and simply asked to give Anko to give her report after he dismissed the gennin. As Naruto was leaving, he just thought,' I wonder how much Anko-sensei will tell about the mission.'

Taking Kisuke and Shana with him, Naruto walked to the Records Department and filed up the adoption papers for both of them. When the clerk on the duty saw the name filled in the place of guardian, he looked up and asked," Do you have a written permission from the clan head regarding this adoption?"

Naruto was ready for it and countered," The permission would be required if I was adopting them in the clan. Since I am adopting them as an individual shinobi, I do not require permission from my clan head. There have been many individual shinobi who adopt children, but most of the time, they don't belong to a clan."

The clerk simply stared before he stamped the papers. Contrary to popular belief, the Hokage did not handle all the paperwork of the village, just the amount related to the shinobi and the village. As such, Naruto did not require any clearance from the Hokage to adopt Shana and Kisuke. Soon, Naruto officially became, Kisuke and Shana's elder brother in the eyes of law.

Next Naruto used the money he got from his mission pay and a small token of appreciation by the Wave Country to buy an apartment in a Shinobi-only apartment building which he was planning on buying long before he came to Wave. Getting Shana and Kisuke settled was no big deal and it was something Naruto easily accomplished. Cooking some food for his new adoptive siblings and apprentices, he told them to rest for some time.

"Rest and recover your energy for today. From tomorrow, meet me at the top of the big mountain with faces and we will begin your training. While I cannot sleep here at the moment, I might move in after some time."

Kisuke and Shana gave him a wide smile and replied with unison," Hai, Naruto-nii chan."

Naruto smiled and left for the Namikaze household.

 **Namikaze Household**

Kushina was waiting for Naruto so that she could give him his present, but Naruto was late. He should have been home about two hours earlier yet he was not here. Puffing up in annoyance and slight anger, she called Mito and Tomoe in order to hunt him down. As the younger Namikaze siblings entered the room, the main entrance opened and Naruto entered the home.

Kushina who was angry at Naruto being home two hours late simply exploded," WHERE WERE YOU NARUTO, YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE HERE BOUT TWO HOURS AGO?!" yelled Kushina.

Naruto immediately jumped up and looked at his mother with a scared expression. Calming his heartbeat, he looked at her," You startled me, what are you angry about?"

Kushina calmed a little and said in an angry tone," You are late young man. You were expected to be here at least two hours ago. I was wondering where you are and you ask why I am angry. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Seeing no reason to lie, Naruto replied," I was buying an apartment at the Shinobi Complex."

This befuddled Kushina and the younger siblings. They were wondering about why he bought an apartment and where he got the money for it.

Naruto ignored their befuddled expressions and went inside, Kushina quickly snapped out of her surprised state and called out," Wash up quickly Naruto, we are going to eat out."

In his room, Naruto was confused. For as long as he remembered, his parents paid little attention to him. This made his childhood a lonely one, but that did not mean that he was unhappy. Today, his mother's attention confused him long with making him feel uncomfortable. A far as eating out was concerned; Naruto was not very keen to try something he did not cook. Hopefully, the restaurant would allow him to cook his own meal. Quickly taking a shower and changing into a cleaner set of hakama and haori, this time a deep blue colored one, after all, just because he mostly wore black does not mean he did not have any other color; Naruto came down from his room to come face to face with his father.

 **Earlier**

Namikaze Minato was shocked at his son's growth. When he read the report presented by Anko and Kurenai, he was surprised, confused and delighted at the same time. Surprised at his son's ability, confused as to just where he got such ability from and delighted that his son had grown into such a fine person.

The last emotion he felt was guilt. He was so engrossed in his duties as the Hokage and in training Mito and Tomoe on the correct way to utilize Kyuubi's chakra; he completely neglected his eldest son. He never would have thought that his son who was almost a stranger to him would be strong enough to defeat a powerful A-rank missing-nin like Momochi Zabuza and come out unscathed. As he heard footsteps on the stairs leading to the upper floor, he came face to face with the object of his thought, his son.

 **Present**

As Naruto and Minato faced each other, Kushina entered the lobby and looked at her eldest son staring at her husband. There situation seemed to be tense but there was no anger or conflict. Shaking her head, she called out to the two of them," Come on Minato-kun, Naruto-kun, we have to go to Ichiraku. We can talk about Naruto's first mission outside the village over a bowl of ramen."

This seemed to snap the two males out of their staring contest as they both silently followed Kushina as the complete family went out together to eat in eleven years. Naruto looked around and saw that the villagers who usually ignored him and did not give him much thought were looking at him as if he was a zoo animal. Most people would be disgusted or creeped out by that but Naruto understood. It is a natural human behavior when humanity is dealing with a relatively unknown entity. Most people are curious when something new comes into their attention and they observe everything about the unknown until they cannot learn anything new without approaching the unknown. This was the standard behavior of a normal human being.

As they entered the quaint ramen shop, a balding old man and a young girl with brown hair greeted them. Naruto had never tasted ramen but he would at least taste it and if he found it pleasing, he would come regularly. Just because he liked home-cooked food does not mean that he would simply disregard the food cooked at shops.

Ayame was the daughter of Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku Ramen. She had worked at her father's restaurant since she was a kid. She accepted it. She liked seeing people eating her father's ramen happily. She liked how they would leave with satisfied expression. She truly respected her father for all his hard work.

The best customer of Ichiraku Ramen was obviously the family of Yondaime Hokage. Ayame liked this family because they loved her father's ramen and were very pleasant to be around. It was just another day in Ichiraku Ramen when the family came to have the ramen they liked so much, but they had brought someone she had never seen with them. Looking at the newcomer, Ayame blushed slightly. He was tall, about 5'9" and quite muscular though his build was more like that of a swimmer than a wrestler, he had long tamed red hair which were tied in a ponytail, his skin was fair with a slight tan indicating that he spent some time under the sun, his eyes were the purest crystalline blue. He wore a deep blue colored hakama with a similar haori. He had accompanied the family but this was the first time the Ichiraku family had seen the newcomer. Her father greeted the family as she observed the young man. Looking closely at his face, she realized that it was quite similar to Hokage-sama and Kushina-sama.

Giving a small cough in order to gather his attention, she introduced herself," It seems as if we have not met before, my name is Ichiraku Ayame."

Naruto gave her a blank stare and replied," I am Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto." This completely shocked Ayame because it was a lesser known fact and she had never met him on the times his family came to the ramen stand.

With a silent contemplation, she began to serve the food. As expected the four regular costumers dug in their food with gusto, but the eldest Namikaze sibling smelled the aroma from the steaming bowl of ramen before taking his chopsticks and tasting the ramen for the first time in his life. Seconds later, Naruto's face showed a flicker of distaste before he placing the bowl away, not wanting to eat it again.

 **Naruto's POV**

Naruto looked at the steaming bowl of ramen in front of him. It had an alluring aroma of soup and looked quite delicious. Taking a long breathe in the heavy aroma which smelled like fish and vegetables. Picking up the chopsticks in front of him, he took a small amount of noodles before putting them in his mouth. Immediately, a strong taste loaded with spices, salt and fat hit him which almost made him hurl. He was most certainly not used to such a strong taste. It felt as if he was eating bread soaked in oil. Looking at the bowl with a slight distaste, he placed the bowl at his side. He figured that his family would be willing to eat the ramen he was eating.

 **General POV**

Kushina looked at Naruto to see that he was not eating. With noodles in her mouth, she asked Naruto," Naruto-kun, why are you not eating?" This attracted the attention of everyone in the small ramen stand.

Naruto looked uncomfortable to speak before finally saying," I believe that ramen does not agree with my stomach. This is my first time eating it, but I am not used to eating such spicy, salty and oily food. I apologize to Ayame-san and Teuchi-san, but I cannot eat your ramen."

The Namikaze-Uzumaki family was taken aback. Naruto had never tasted ramen before and probably would never eat ramen based on his reaction. It was a bizarre situation that a member of their family did not like ramen. Ayame and Teuchi were also shocked but thought nothing of it. Naruto had said that he was not used to eating spicy food. Naruto looked at them and said," Would you mind if I cook the food? I am used to cooking food and I would feel more comfortable if I cook on my own food."

Ayame and Teuchi looked at each other and said," It's okay, you can cook." Naruto smiled a little and quickly rushed to the kitchen.

Ayame faced the stunned Namikaze-Uzumaki family before asking," Could you please tell me why it is the first time your eldest son visited Ichiraku Ramen when your whole family comes here bout thrice a week?"

Minato lowered his head before saying," When Mito, Tomoe and Naruto were three, we began to pay more attention to the twins because the fact of them being our children coupled with them having the Kyuubi's chakra made them prime targets for enemy villages who would not hesitate to kill them or kidnap them. Sometime after, Naruto started to fade into the background where he was ignored by most of our acquaintances. Whenever I saw Naruto in the early years, he always had a guarded look in his eyes that made it difficult to approach. By the time he was seven, we had completely lost track of him. He stopped asking for anything, no longer ate with us, I doubt that he even trusted us at that point. Since he was not mostly seen with us, even the villagers ignored him for the most of the time."

As Minato told his tale, Ayame and Teuchi remembered the red haired kid they sometimes saw around the village few years ago. The child would do odd jobs around the village for money. It turned out that he would only take the jobs that were usually given as D-rank missions. Even they had hired him before to help them restock their kitchen once. Mito and Tomoe never knew much about their brother; most of their information was taken from Academy Records wich painted Naruto as an average student

Minato continued," As such, we know nothing about him. Even though we love him a lot, he is just like a stranger to us. We have never trained him but he was still able to repel and defeat an A-rank missing-nin by himself."

Minato wanted to say more but was interrupted by a shout from Kushina," WHAT DO YOU MEAN AN A-RANK MISSING-NIN? What happened on Naruto's first C-rank Minato? I was not able to ask before." Behind her, Tomoe and Mito were wide-eyed as they wondered,' How could Naruto-nii defeat an A-rank missing-nin?'

Minato sighed and started," Naruto's C-rank was actually bumped up to an A-rank mission. I had no knowledge about this because the situation was easily handled. During their mission, Team 11 and Team 8 encountered Demon of the Hidden Mist Momochi Zabuza. Before Anko and Kurenai could engage in combat, Naruto jumped in and defeated Zabuza twice. When Gatou, who was Zabuza's employer, tried to kill two children, Naruto slaughtered him, along with two hundred and fifty bandits that Gatou had hired. The surprising thing is that he did not perform such a feat by using Ninjutsu, Genjutsu or Taijutsu. He defeated Zabuza and killed those bandits with a sword. Turns out, our son is a Kenjutsu prodigy and he created two strong Kenjutsu styles on his own."

Kushina was shocked; after all, it was not every day that you hear about your son being a Kenjutsu prodigy. Before anything else could be said, Naruto returned while carrying a small dish of curry and rice. The aroma that originated from the curry was mouth-watering and Naruto could see the drool forming on his siblings' faces. He had cooked enough for himself, the Ichiraku family, his adoptive siblings as they only had lunch before and some more if his siblings and parents wanted to sample some of it.

Quickly serving the portion he had made for his family, he sat down to eat. It looked as if Mito, Kushina and Tomoe were held back by a chain, waiting for a command to begin the feast. The drooled at the savory aroma of the curry and quickly dug in. Minato was apprehensive but started eating slowly before his eyes widened at the taste. He too began to eat with gusto. Naruto packed the food for his adoptive siblings and sent it to them with a Kage Bunshin.

"Oh! I just remembered; Naruto, I got you something for your first C-rank mission." said Kushina. This got Naruto' attention and seriously confused. He had been a long time since he received any present from his parents. Looking at her, his face took an impassive look which creeped Kushina out. A second before, he had a small smile but the mention of present changed his mood completely. Now he had an emotionless look which scared Kushina a little.

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence where no one wanted to talk. The family quickly paid for the meal and left the stand leaving a worried pair of ramen chefs.

As they reached the home Kushina asked in a worried one," What has happened Naruto? You have not said a word since I mentioned a gift."

Naruto shook his head and smiled a little," You just surprised and confused me. I have not received any present from you in about ten years, so it was quite a surprise." This statement completely horrified Kushina; she had not given Naruto anything as a present in TEN whole years. What kind of mother would do that to her child? Now she understood why she had so much trouble in picking a present for him; she had not given anything to Naruto so she would hardly know his likes or dislikes. Mito and Tomoe decided to just give the present, seeing as the talk was driving their mother to tears.

Mito decided to talk," Naruto-nii, we got you a scroll for a lightning and a water jutsu. You can pick the one you have an affinity for. If you pick a lightning jutsu, dad and I will help you with it and if you pick the water jutsu, mom or Tomoe will help you since they have a water affinity."

Naruto frowned a little and said," If it is above B-rank, then it would be a problem since I do not have a water or lightning affinity. I have a very strong wind affinity." Mito was surprised; her brother never showcased his wind affinity. This created an awkward moment before Naruto said," Still, I will learn the water jutsu, but right now, I have to sleep. I am quite tired by the journey today."

With that, Naruto went to his room, followed by Mito and Tomoe as they wanted to rest. Kushina looked at Minato and asked in a trembling voice," Did we mess up that badly Minato-kun? What should we do now? Our family has completely ignored Naruto and I doubt that he would even consider us as his parents anymore."

Minato hugged his wife while she wept in sadness for the child they left alone. Minato had only one thought going through his mind,' I will fix this, even if I have to die to do it.'

In his room Naruto was having a talk with Yamato and Kurama, contemplating on the behavior of his parents.

"What was that all about Kurama? Never before have they acted like this. It's like they remembered me just now, after all these years. I just don't know how to handle it. It is all new and jumbled up for me." Naruto ranted to his closest confidents.

Kurama snorted and said," **It may be the case kit. How else you would explain your parents acting like this. If I remember, Kushina gave a gift to both Mito and Tomoe when they returned from their C-rank mission. Also, as far as I know, she was always busy with training your siblings before. Now that they are Gennin; she has a lot of free time, she remembered you.** "

Yamato quipped," That might be the case partner, I have observed humans and once they get free from one time consuming activity, they move on to something else. I suggest that you get used to being invited for lunches, training and similar family times."

Kurama mused," **Though I wonder, now that you will get your parents' love, will you still leave the village.** "

Naruto closed his eyes for some time before replying," Yes, we will leave after the Chunnin Exams. I will not change my goal because I started to receive attention from my world needs to change, and if not change, then burn. Ninja fight over petty issues, and drag innocents into their fights. Either they shape up or rot away like a spoilt fruit."

 **Next Morning**

Crystal blue eyes opened suddenly as the alarm clock on the side of his bed struck five. Stretching himself a little to remove the kinks, Naruto stood up from the bed and went to the bathroom. Quickly stripping his clothes, he took a quick, cold shower which shocked his brain into a wakeful state. Wearing his signature hakama and haori, he decided to Naruto decided that he would practice his Fuinnjutsu after his usual physical exercise and Kenjutsu training today. Then he also had to instruct his cute students. Deciding his course of action Naruto came down to the living room but the scene he came to surprised him.

Naruto looked at his gathered family members, and asked," What are you doing here this early in the morning?"

Tomoe deadpanned," We could ask the same thing."

Naruto cracked a smile at that before moving towards the door. Kushina who saw the entire event, asked Naruto," Where are you going Naruto-kun?"

Naruto turned back and replied," I have to go to train. Physical conditioning is important after all. Then I plan to study Fuinnjutsu today. I did not get much time to practice that while I was on the mission."

Before he could go out, Kushina called out," You could train with us today. We could help you and you can have a spar with Mito or Tomoe at the end of training. I still have to teach you the water jutsu. I cn also help you in Fuinnjutsu training."

Naruto thought for a second before deciding to take this training opportunity. He discreetly made a Kage Bunshin before sending him to train Shana and Kisuke, he started his physical exercises.

What followed was the most grueling training session Mito or Tomoe ever had. Naruto ran circles around them and they could only hope to match his stamina. He ran thirty times around the village followed by push-ups, sit-ups, punches, kicks and stretches. By the end of this small exercise, Naruto's siblings were completely exhausted and breathing heavily while Naruto was not even winded.

Mito panted," Just what kind of monster are you? Even mom does not have this much stamina."

Naruto laughed," I practice in a different manner. Whenever I exercise, I try to do more than the previous day. At the end of every exercise, I use a medical technique to heal my muscles. This fortifies my muscles for the punishment they have to endure the next day. I believe that you also heal your muscles via Kyuubi's chakra but my technique is better because the Kyuubi's chakra does not actually know how to heal. I recommend that you learn a little about anatomy. This knowledge will help you heal wounds easily."

Mito had a contemplating look on his face. Never before had she seen this side of Naruto, and it seemed that Naruto was quite knowledgeable in physical conditioning and healing. She got up and said," I am too tired for anything right now so I might get a look at anatomy books in the library." Saying this she went in the direction of Library.

Kushina looked at Naruto, who faced her and said," I would have stayed but it is time for the team meeting. I have to leave."

Minato piped in," I must also leave Kushina; I have to announce the Chunnin Exams to the Jounin-sensei. I shall see you in the evening. Also, don't worry about Naruto. We will fix our family together."

As Kushina looked at the retreating form of Naruto, she had a feeling that her family has been irreparably damaged.

 **Hokage Tower**

"As you already know" Yondaime started. "It is that time once again. The Chunnin exam is coming, and this time it will be held here in Konoha. Now, team Jounin step forward!"

Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, Gai and Anko did as they were told.

"Are there any students you wish to nominate for the Chunnin exam participation?" Kakashi started.

"I, Hatake Kakashi, jounin sensei of team 7 nominate Namikaze Tomoe, Uchiha Sasuke and Namikaze Mito for participation."

"I, Sarutobi Asuma, jounin sensei of team 10 nominate Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji and Yamanaka Ino for participation."

"I, Yuuhi Kurenai, jounin sensei of team 8 nominate Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba and Haruno Sakura for participation."

"I, THE MOST YOUTHFUL JOUNIN MAITO GAI, JOUNIN OF TEAM 9 NOMINATE HYUUGA NEJI, TENTEN AND MOST YOUTHFUL ROCK LEE FOR PARTICIPATION."

The Hokage nodded, "Anko?"

Special jounin smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of her head. Anko shrugged, " I, Mitarashi Anko, Jounin sensei of team 11 nominate."

 **With Team 11**

Anko nodded, "I wouldn't have nominated you if I didn't think that. You did great on the Wave mission and I believe you can do well in these exams." she said as she smiled in a reassuring manner, "But don't forget that most do not pass their first exams and there is a big chance you will face some more people much stronger than you." Anko warned. Yakumo gulped as she still had some doubts about her skill while Shino and Naruto simply looked at Anko with blank stares. He shrugged, "If you wish to take the exam, please sign these papers and report to room 401 at the Ninja Academy by 4 PM tomorrow. The exam is purely individual choice so decide if you wish to go or not and please present yourselves tomorrow." Anko said as she disappeared into smoke.

"Chunnin Selection Exams eh? " Shino said as he looked at his paper and began to walk away. Yakumo looked down at the paper, determination to prove herself racking her as she turned and walked towards her Clan compound.

Naruto smiled at the paper, his resolve to take it and move forward with his goals driving him to fill the papers out once he got home. He sealed the papers in a seal and began walking a blank face on as his eyes darted around, taking in the world. Naruto was moving going to meet his adoptive siblings when he heard Mito' voice.

"Sarutobi Konohamaru!" Mito barked out as she stood in front of the box with two holes in the front for eyesight, "that has to be the worst hiding idea I have ever seen, get out here." she said as she stared down at the rock. Naruto waited only a moment before the box disappeared and an abundance of smoke came from the same spot, coughing soon following the smoke as he heard them begin to stumble about.

"I think we used too much smoke." a nasally voice which sounded like the person had a cold rang out. Naruto's smirked which slowly descended into a chuckle when three friends jumped out from the smoke and attempted a better introduction by forming a triangle, with Konohamaru at point.

"I would expect nothing less from the man I consider my rival!" Konohamaru shouted as he pointed at Mito. Mito looked down at the self-proclaimed 'Konohamaru Shinobi Corps' and held back a smile at the goggles around each of the three's heads.

Konohamaru was at the front of the group, his short spiky brown hair and black eyes reminding Naruto of his relation to the Sandaime. He wore a yellow shirt with the Konoha symbol in red; some grey shorts adorned his legs with what looked to be patches around his knees. The most notable thing about him though, and the thing which caused Naruto to meet him, was the extra long blue scarf that wrapped around Konohamaru's neck and trailed behind him by several feet, leading to him tripping on it occasionally.

On his right, Udon stood with his mop top brown hair hanging past his goggles as a string of snot hung from his nose as he pushed his glasses up on his nose. He wore a blue shirt with a grey collar and edges, white shorts and the normal blue shinobi sandals. Nothing was particularly noteworthy about him except the gleam of intelligence Naruto could see lurking behind his sickly look, something he grew familiar with as Kisuke had much the same look.

On Konohamaru's left, stood the only female of the group whose name was Moegi. Her hair was the most noticeable about her, much like Sakura's bubblegum pink hair, her orange hair stood out well within the crowd; it was tied up in two very large pigtails with red elastic bands. She wears a maroon vest with a dark pink shirt and pants, her hands fisted in front of her chest as if she anticipated meeting someone of great importance or her excitement. She also wore the blue sandals of Shinobi. Naruto idly noted that her cheeks looked odd with the red oval markings on them.

"Why are you wearing goggles?" Mito finally said in question as she looked them over, curious why they would be wearing goggles like when she used to wear them during her academy days. Even if she thought she knew why, she wanted to hear it from them.

Konohamaru smiled brightly, "We are following Boss Lady's example!" he said happily. Naruto smiled lightly at them.

"Really?" he asked amusedly, "Good job on the goggles then." he said.

Konohamaru suddenly twisted his neck to the place where the voice originated. There was a tall guy wearing a hakama and haori looking at them and Mito with mild amusement. Konohamaru quickly snapped out of his surprise and pointed at Naruto accusingly," Who are you hakama guy? Why are you eavesdropping on us?"

Naruto laughed a little before saying," I am the elder brother of your Boss Lady, young man. Although I must say, it is a good thing that you are idolizing a strong person, though it would be a waste if you don't work hard after declaring yourself as a rival to someone strong."

Giving them a serious look Naruto asked," How old are you three?"

Konohamaru stood ramrod straight and answered," Seven, sir"

Naruto smiled and said," Then you have time to grow into your strength. Make your grandfather proud but remember one thing, never stray from the path of right."

Konohamaru beamed as Udon looked up, a glint in his eyes and Moegi looked at him with hope, before all of them turned to Mito, "Boss Lady?" they asked, as Mito turned to her, "Do you have some free time?"

Mito pondered her question for a moment, looking at the eagerness on their faces, "If I play with them, it will take all day!" she thought to herself as she wondered what to tell them, but decided that since she was given an off by Kakashi today, 'Aww well, I guess I have some extra time.' he thought as he opened his mouth, "Yes." she said as if resigned to his fate.

"Sweet that means Boss Lady can play ninja with us!" Konohamaru shouted as Naruto felt his smile slip slightly, "A ninja playing ninja." he thought with a small bit of amusement, as she nodded to them.

"Okay then, let's test your stealth shall we?" she said, catching the group's attention. Naruto smiled slightly as Mito adopted a sensei's voice much like Anko does with him. "You all will be given a three minute head start to run away and hide yourselves before I attempt to find you. The last one I find, will be the leader for your group until the next training session so hide well." she said, causing them all to gain a glint in their eyes and set themselves to run away, "Ready?" she said, "Go!" she shouted as he watched them race off and around a corner.

Naruto chuckled as he turned to leave. He froze in his spot as he heard a few sounds and his sensor alerted him to two presences he hadn't noticed yet, "Oof!" came the sound from Konohamaru.

"That hurt..." came the condescending voice of someone Naruto didn't know. Then he heard something that had him turning back to the corner his group had just rounded and moving forward at a quickened pace."Hey! Let me go!" Konohamaru yelled.

Naruto rounded the corner just as the same voice spoke, "That hurt you little piece of shit." the boy who now held Konohamaru said. Naruto took a moment to observe the situation. Moegi and Udon were standing a few feet closer to Naruto than to Konohamaru and the odd boy who held him by the scruff of his shirt. The street they were on had a tree next to it but was mainly surrounded by buildings and a fence. There was little in the way of cover and only looked like a connecting alley between two streets besides the obvious sunlight shining down on it.

The boy holding Konohamaru was wearing an odd, body suit, all black, with a red and yellow circle on the front of his chest. The suit fell around him, indicating that it didn't hug his body, something Naruto was thankful for as he didn't think he wanted to see a man's body so well defined. His hood covered his hair but stood up with two small pieces of cloth that looked like cat ears. His forehead protector was wrapped around his forehead, a symbol of an Hourglass with a Bar on top of it, the symbol of Sunagakure engraved upon it. Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly. His face was covered in what looked like makeup. Purple triangles and points seemed to dominate parts of his face as his eyes squinted at Konohamaru. He noticed that the guy had a bundle wrapped on his back with what looked to be brown hair coming out at the top of the wrappings.

Naruto also spotted a young woman standing behind him, obviously a small relation was held between the two as their facial structures and body structures seemed to follow the same pattern, something Naruto learned from watching a few of the clans' many children. He noticed her blonde hair, drawn up into four different pigtails around her head along with her dark teal eyes. Her dress was a light purple which started right under her shoulders and went down her chest, showcasing her slightly developed breasts down her stomach and around her hips to end right around her mid-thigh. A scarlet colored sash covered her hips and tied her dress to her body. Pieces of fishnet dotted her body, going over her shoulders and covering what was missed by her low riding dress, she had two pieces of fishnet on her creamy white legs, one on her right calf and one on her left thigh. Finally, Naruto saw that her headband was tied around her neck, unlike her, he assumed, brother or cousin.

Just as Naruto appeared, the woman spoke, "Don't Kankuro, we will just get yelled at later." The boy, Kankuro it seemed, scoffed.

Mito yelled, "Hey! Put Konohamaru down you make-up wearing clown." This caused a tick mark to appear on Kankuro's brow. Naruto had seen enough and decided to help him but before he moved, two figures came to the scene, two very familiar figures.

"You might want to listen to your sister over there Suna-nin." Kisuke said as he walked up behind Udon and Konohamaru, a smile on his face as his eyes squinted to give the appearance of an idiot. Kankuro scowled.

"What are you going to do about it gaki?" Kankuro asked haughtily from his spot with a hold on Konohamaru.

Mito saw the odd pair of children who were about the same age as the Konohamaru corps. The boy had light blonde hair with brown eyes while the girl had flaming red hair and similar red eyes. On a glance, the girl could be an Uzumaki with her spitfire attitude.

Naruto smirked, as Kisuke charged at Kankuro with mid-Gennin speed, taking out his bokken and thrusting at Kankuro. Kankuro looked amused as the kid attacked him, and dodged the straight thrust while giving a smirk. But the smirk was wiped away as Kisuke changed the path of the blade in midair and hit Kankuro with the edge of the bokken. The force of the blow knocked the wind out of Kankuro as he collapsed on the ground while coughing. Konohamaru, who was freed, quickly used the opportunity to hide behind Mito who looked at Kisuke in shock. Temari who rushed to help her brother was stopped by Shana as she used high-Gennin to low-Chunnin level speed to quickly attack Temari's legs before spinning in a graceful arc and attacking her mid-section. Temari also joined her brother on the ground. They both looked at the two children in wonder. Both were the top Gennin of Suna but here, they were beaten by a pair of Academy Students.

Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon and Mito were mystified by the small display by the two children. Mito was surprised that a pair of Academy students were able to take down two Gennin, while Konohamaru and his friends were mystified that two children who were the same age as them could actually defeat a pair of Gennin.

"ENOUGH, what is going on here?" spoke Naruto in a menacing tone.

Mito, the other Gennin and the Konohamaru Corps jumped as Naruto suddenly appeared, but Shana quickly hugged him and yelled," Nii-chan."

Naruto smiled and patted their heads while saying, "You did great Shana-chan, the same goes for Kisuke. Although you are defeated them, you did so because you had the element of surprise. Still, it was quite good for your first fight."

Turning towards the two foreign Gennin, Naruto said," Now I must ask you, why are you attacking Konoha citizens?"

"I'm not involved." the woman said as she took a step back, completely forgetting how she had been ready to step in and help her relation.

"That boy is the grandson of the Sandaime." he said causing the two Gennin's eyes to widen, "hurting him over such a silly thing as bumping into you would be rather... dangerous wouldn't it?" he asked rhetorically as he suddenly smiled at them, giving them the impression that what they had just witnessed was nothing more than a figment of their imagination.

"Kankuro, you are a disgrace to our village."

Both the Gennin froze as they heard the voice as a redhead Suna Gennin used Shunshin to appear behind the two. The boy was about Naruto's height, with extremely pale skin and short spiky hair, much like Tomoe's but it was a brick red color. His eyes were a light green in color with dark black rings surrounding his eyes, much like the markings of a Tanuki. He was wearing a black body suit with sleeves like a t-shirt and an open neck cut. A white cloth was worn over his right shoulder and down to the left side of his hips. A wide leather system of belts were strapped across his left shoulder and right hip, attached to his back, by these same leather straps was a gourd, his forehead protector was worn along the band of leather across his chest. The most notable aspect of this person though, was the symbol on his left forehead, seemingly burned into his forehead was the Kanji for love.

"Ga-Gaara." Kankuro stuttered. Naruto stared hard at the new arrival. This guy radiated chakra almost like he did but he couldn't sense a single speck of the normal blue chakra.

"Losing your control in a fight?" Gaara stated in a cold, emotionless voice much like what Naruto used when he needed his shinobi mask, "Pathetic." he said as he turned to Mito and Naruto, disappearing in a swirl of sand and reappearing in front of his teammates. "I'm sorry for my team's behavior." the woman and Kankuro quickly apologized as well.

"We arrived early but we are not here to play around Kankuro." Gaara said. Kankuro opened his mouth but Gaara shot him a glare, "Shut up, I'll kill you." he said as he turned back to Mito and Naruto. "We are here for the Chunnin Selection Exams." he said as he showed their passes. Naruto and Mito nodded as the trio of Gennin took their passes back. "Let's go." Gaara said as he turned to leave.

"What's your name?" Mito demanded.

"Who? Me?" the woman asked as.

"No. You with the gourd." Mito clarified. Gaara turned back and looked at Mito.

"Sabaku no Gaara." he answered. "And yours?" he questioned back.

"Namikaze Mito." Mito said with a smirk. Naruto was more than happy to keep his name hidden. Gaara turned and all three of the Sand Gennin disappeared in sand Shunshin. Mito merely glanced back at Naruto.

Naruto smirked and said," Things are going to get very interesting." With that, Naruto turned around.

Naruto smirked again," Very interesting indeed." Having said that, Naruto walked away. Mito stood there awkwardly before saying," I wonder why the two kids called Naruto-nii as nii-chan."

AN1- Thank you for your reviews and messages.

AN2- I am looking for a Beta. If anyone is interested, please send a PM.

AN3- Finally, I apologize for the slow update but I had some problems in writing this chapter. The biggest chapter yet, but still a filler. I wanted to do a fight scene between Mito, Tomoe and Naruto but decided against it. I also wanted to introduce Team 9 but I guess, they will be introduced in the next chapter. This is a prelude to the Chunnin Exams tell me how much you liked it.


	10. Chapter 10

"Hello" - Human Talk

 **"Hello" - Bijuu/Summon Talk**

'Hello' - Human Thought

' **Hello' - Bijuu/Summon Thought**

Disclaimer- I do not own Naruto or Ruroni Kenshin.

Chapter 9

 **Chunnin Exams and the Forest of Death**

Blue eyes watched carefully as Sakura and Hinata sparred with each other. They had come far since they started training with him. He watched as Sakura, who was almost useless in the field of Taijutsu, was facing Hinata and her newly dubbed Flowing Snake Jyuuken. While Hinata's style was new and still incomplete, it was enough to keep someone on their toes. It had the power of Jyuuken, the flexibility of water and the spontaneity and precision of Hebi style. Sakura had asked for training from Gai and Gai being who he was, helped Sakura 'stoke her flames of youth.'

On the other side of the clearing, Naruto's first apprentices Kisuke and Shana were practicing with a pair of Bokken. They had advanced in Kenjutsu and were trying to improve on it. He had introduced Kisuke to Fuinnjutsu and the results were completely expected. Kisuke created a seal called the Tenketsu seal that could actually allow someone to through a Jutsu by simply molding the chakra and using it through his sword. Shana however was concentrating on mastering her elemental affinity. She was really gifted with Katon affinity and was using her knowledge to create what she called the Hi no Yoroi (Fire Armor). Her Kenjutsu was on a higher level than Kisuke, but that can be blamed on Kisuke's laid back personality.

Naruto was thinking about an attack separate from his Kenjutsu styles. Naruto knew that he would need a destructive attack as he might not get enough room for using Battoujutsu in his next fight. He needed an attack that could be fired without the use of Battoujutsu.

Kisuke looked at Naruto and took in his thoughtful look. He asked his adoptive big brother," What are you thinking about Naruto-nii?"

Naruto looked at Kisuke and smiled a little," Nothing important Kisuke-kun, I am just out of ideas for an attack that does not require Battoujutsu. I will not always get enough room to use Shingetsu ryu when I need some destructive power."

Kisuke thought for a minute before replying," A slashing attack with a large penetration power is effective. Maybe an arc of Chakra would work nicely."

Naruto listened and his mind actually made up the attack. The attack consisted of an arc of Chakra with the shell of yin chakra to maintain sharpness and prevent power leakage while powered with the more potent yang to enhance the destructive power. The attack could pierce the heaven so Naruto decided to name it as such.

Naruto thought,' It seems as if my arsenal is complete now. Now, I just have to name my attack. A large and destructive arc of power that can pierce the heavens, so Getsuga Tenshō would be a nice name for it.'

 **The Day of Exam, Ninja Academy**

Team 11 was making their way to the Academy. As they approached, Naruto was the one to look up at the building. He began to think about the past, before their sensei walked up to them from a far. "I'm glad you all decided to show up."

"We're in this as a team; didn't we tell you that sensei?" spoke Yakumo as she ran her fingers through her hair. Shino just nodded, and Naruto smiled a little.

Anko nodded, "I was making sure you all showed up, if one of you didn't then none of you would have been allowed in."

"It was the most logical thing to do." spoke out Shino.

Anko chuckled and said," Well good luck in there! I might see you on the other side."

Yakumo spoke as she walked in, "Don't joke like that sensei, there's no way we would die, as long as we're together as a team."

"Of course, Shino, Yakumo let's go!" Naruto then walked in with Yakumo and Shino. Anko watched as her three students walked in," Be safe gakis, it would be lonely without you."

 **Inside**

Team 11 made their way up to the second floor, when they came across a group of kids huddled by a door. They watched as two Gennin blocked the exit. Yakumo spoke in a hushed tone," It's a Genjutsu. Those two are under a Henge."

Shino looked at her and replied," You right, were obviously only on the second level."

Naruto then walked across the little herd, and made his way to the stairs. Silently motioning his team to follow him, they did. Making their way up the stairs, they were surprised that the only door on this level was their door.

Naruto looked at Yakumo and Shino, and watched how Yakumo looked a bit nervous, while Shino had his emotionless mask on. Naruto sighed, and he pushed the door open.

Walking in, they were surprised by the number of people. Naruto's eyes narrowed," There are a lot of Gennin in this room."

Yakumo nodded while Shino spoke up, "I guess we're not the only ones taking this."

All of them looked around as some of the other Gennin glared at them. They all sweat dropped, and Naruto spoke, 'I see you're point Shino."

Then suddenly Naruto watched as Team 7 walked in. Sasuke looked a little roughed up while Mito and Tomoe where sighing with exasperation. Mito noticed him, and was about to walk over before Sasuke was attacked by Ino. The two teams watched as most of the rookies gathered at the entrance, creating quite the commotion.

Naruto then watched as a silver headed boy with glasses walked over to them, "Hey you rookies take it easy."

"Who do you think you are?" demanded Kiba. Hinata then tried her best to scowl Kiba, "Kiba-kun, you should not be rude."

"It's alright, my names Kabuto; and I think it would be wise for you guys to calm down. If you want I could even help you out." said Kabuto. Sasuke then eyed him for a second, before Ino spoke up, "What do you mean?"

"Well I've taken this exam 7 times, so I've got quite the info about almost anyone here."

"Seven times, that's a lot. You must suck." retorted Kiba as he looked away. Shikamaru then voice his opinion," Still that makes him a veteran here. He must know the test inside out."

"Exactly." said Kabuto as he pushed his glasses in. Sasuke then walked up to him, "Do you have information on Shinobi?"

Kabuto nodded, he pulled out some cards, "These cards here have information on almost anyone. They're my own creation; just give me looks, village, or simply a name."

Everyone around watched interested in this silver haired shinobi, especially Naruto, "There's no way a Gennin can get this type of information."

Mito thought about it for a minute before he said a few names, " Sabaku no Gaara, Rock Lee of the Leaf… and Namikaze Naruto of the Leaf."

Yakumo then gasped, "What's she doing?"

Naruto shook his head, "She's getting information on those she thinks are his biggest rivals. You can't blame her; we aren't exactly on his side this time around."

Yakumo looked at Naruto, "Are you alright with this?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulder, "I don't care, but I don't like how this guy has so much information."

"Aw too bad, you even now the ruins the fun. Alright first one, Sabaku no Gaara" said Kabuto as he pulled out a card, and begun to spin it with chakra. Stopping the card he pulled it up, "Since He's a newcomer from a foreign country I don't have much information but... It seems he returned from all of his missions without a scratch. Mission History is 8 C-Rank, and 1 B-rank. Wow that's impressive for a Gennin."

Kabuto pulled out another card, "Next is Rock Lee of the Leaf. Last year he gained attention as a talented Gennin, but he did not participate in the exams. Like you guys, this is his first time. On his team are Hyuuga Neji and Tenten, both of them are also considered highly skilled. His best skill seems to be Taijutsu, but nothing else is impressive."

"Alright last one up Naruto..." Kabuto then pulled out a third card, "Namikaze Naruto is under the team of Mitarashi Anko, with his teammates being Kurama Yakumo, and Aburame Shino... wow this kid has completed 80 D-Rank missions, and 1 A-rank mission. Namikaze Naruto the son of the Fourth Hokage." Naruto watched as many kids begun to look at him.

"He is also rumored to defeat Momochi Zabuza, an A-rank missing-nin singlehandedly though the method is unknown. He is considered the Hero of Wave for killing a tyrant known as Gatou and his army of thugs himself."

Naruto closed his eyes as he heard a bunch a gasps," Great."

"I guess he would be the ninja to beat in these exams. Though you shouldn't just look out for him." explained Kabuto as he pulled out another card, "You see here, there are many ninjas from every great Nation, have come to take the ninja exams. Even villages like Waterfall, Grass, and Rain have sent some ninjas. They're all filled with talented ninja."

Mito pointed at the sound village, "What about this one?"

Kabuto looked at the village, "Don't worry about that one, they're fairly new. I won't expect them to send any strong ninjas."

Naruto having heard enough turned to his teammates, and took a look around the room, "I guess we're going to be a target in these exams."

Shino looked around also, and noticed some glares from their own village, "I guess the fact that you've become quite the name, even some of our own ninja will probably target us."

Yakumo expressed her doubt," It is a very large possibility."

"Alright maggots, it's time to take the exam! The proctors will assign you a seat, and you guys will take the exam." explained Morino Ibiki, Head of Konoha Torture and Interrogation Department." My name's Ibiki and I'll be the protector of the first exam."

Ibiki handed out the exam. He then began to explain the test, and how it would work.

"Show your ID and pick your number to be sited then we will begin the written exam." Ibiki explained.

'Written exam? This sucks.' Naruto thought.

A few minutes later everyone was sited with their test in front of them but faced down. All around the classroom were Chunnins with few boards. Surprisingly enough Hinata managed to sit right next to Naruto.

"This test has a few rules. Number 1: Each one starts with 10 points, each wrong question deduces one point. Number 2: The total score is based on your whole team." Ibiki explained and a few gasped.

'Kiba, you better pass otherwise I'll kill you.' Sasuke thought. Poor Kiba seeing the glares from his teammates started to sweat.

"Number 3: Each time you are caught cheating you lose 2 points. Get caught five times and your team is automatically failed. The last question is answered last, you have 45 minutes to answer the 10 questions. START" Ibiki said.

Naruto picked up his pencil and turned his sheet only to be faced with extremely hard questions.

'What the hell is this? These questions aren't for gennin' Naruto thought and looked around the classroom. Everyone seemed to be lost except for a few that were writing.

"I know some but I bet 90% of the people here can't answer a single one. Something isn't right here" - Naruto thought and began pondering what Ibiki said. Naruto knew that Ibiki was the leader of the Torture and Interrogation Division and he focused on mental torture.

'If you get caught cheating you lose points' Now I get it, we are meant to cheat but without getting caught. Must be some information gathering exercise' Naruto thought and looked around the classroom. He noticed that Hinata had her Byakugan activated and was already starting to write.

Shino was using his bugs to scout for anyone with answers. Kiba was using Akamaru that was on his head, high enough to spot someone else's sheet.

Tenten was using mirrors on the ceiling so she could get the reflection of another gennin. Sakura was writing since she was a bookworm she could easily answer the exam. Sasuke had his Sharingan activated and was copying someone's hand movements.

Naruto waited a few minutes until he spotted someone lowering their exam sheet signaling that he was finished. 'They must have placed a few Chunnin around to answer the exams' Naruto thought.

Naruto sighed in relief,' Thank Kami that I studied so much to create my Kenjutsu styles. The calculations of pressure, force and the theory is almost basic for me now.' With that, he started writing answers.

"Okay, pencils down. It is time for the final question." Ibiki said. "Before we begin, there are some rules. The first rule is that you must choose to answer the question or not."

"What kind of rule is that?" Temari exclaimed.

"It means that if you do not answer the question, then your points go to zero. You fail and your team leaves with you." Ibiki said. This caused an outrage among the group. Ibiki ignored them and spoke again. "Another rule, if you choose to take the question and get it wrong, then you will never get another shot at the Chunnin Exams."

"What type of rule is that? You can't make that type of decision!" Kiba shouted.

"That's where you're wrong. Inside this room, I am the law. You either get with that or you can leave. Those are you're only two options. So, are you ready for the final question?" Ibiki asked with a smile. He watched as several Gennin stood and walked out of room. He saw that a few looked ready to quit but what really caught his attention was Anko's team acting so relaxed. He glared at them and wondered what was so relaxing. "You three," getting team Anko's attention. "You seem pretty relaxed for such a huge decision hanging over your heads."

"I'm not really relaxed but I am confident in my knowledge and ability. Besides, I'm not backing down just because you're in charge. I waited for this opportunity and I do not plan to take the Chunnin Exams again. So I would rather take the risk and move forward than back down. I am most certain that my team shares my view." Naruto said.

"While it would be illogical to risk the question and probably be banned from the Chunnin Exams forever, risks are the most important part of Shinobi lifestyle. If I can risk my life on the field for my village, risking a simple answer is nothing to be afraid of." Shino said.

"As Chunnin, we will have to make such decisions and we will have to live with it. Wrong or right, I will stand by my decisions and my teammates." Yakumo said. Ibiki looked at this team and had to admit that Anko had a wonderful team of Gennin. He looked at the others.

"Does anyone else feel the way that this team feels?" Ibiki asked. Only a few looked convinced by what this team said. "Very well, the first stage of Chunnin Exams is now over."

"Say what now? What about the tenth question?" Kiba asked.

"There was never a tenth question." Ibiki answered. Everyone looked at him and the examiners with shock.

"Are you telling us that you mentally scarred us and it was for nothing?" Sakura asked.

"Yes." Ibiki answered.

"You are a sick son of a bitch." Tomoe said, getting the agreement of most of the room. Ibiki ignored them and began to speak.

"The object of this test was to see how well you can gather information. Did you really believe that no one would notice the use of Dōjutsu, animals or puppets? Those who were eliminated would have been killed on the spot by how bad they were getting their information. The tenth question was just to see if you have the stuff to be Chunnin. As a Chunnin, you will be given more difficult mission. Some of those missions, your life would be in great danger and you have to make a decision." Ibiki suddenly removed his bandana, allow everyone to see his man scars and holes in his head. "Depend on your choice; you make it in the service of your village. Never forget that." He said and placed his bandana back on. As he was about to speak again, something coming toward the window caught his attention.

It smashed through one of the windows and stopped in mid-air. It began to un-wrap itself. Two kunai hit the ceiling and a banner appeared. On it were the words 'The Procter of the Second Stage, The Sexy and Single, Mitarashi Anko'. The purple haired ninja stood and gave everyone a menacing stare.

"This isn't the time to be cheering! You little bastards belong to me now!" Anko shouted. Everyone looked at her like she was crazy.

"You could have warned us that he was the examiner of the first stage!" Shino spoke evenly.

"You're still alive aren't you?" Anko asked. Her students just glared at her.

"You're early, again." Ibiki said with a frown.

"Eh," Anko said with a shrug. She looked around and noticed quite a lot of people. "You allowed twenty seven teams to pass?"

"There are quite a few strong ones in here." Ibiki said.

"Is that so? Well then, let's see if they are as strong as you say." Anko said with a sadistic grin. She faced the group of hopeful Chunnin.

"Alright maggots, follow me to your next test. If you think that Ibiki was scary, you're going to love what I have in store for you." Everyone was put off by the chuckling of the deranged looking Jounin, with the exception of her team.

Anko and the Chunnin hopefuls approached a lush, dark forest that seemed to give an aura of malice. There were numerous signs around the gates which said things like 'Beware', 'Civilians and Gennin are prohibited' and finally 'Ninja above Gennin, enter at your own risk.'

Anko walked to the front of the gate as she turned to the ninja "alright, everyone shut up!"

The group did as requested as the snake mistress continued "alright, this exam is going to be tough I will not lie to you. It is projected to get rid of about eighty percent of you or more."

A rush of whispers went through the group as Anko continued "it will take place in here, the forty-fourth training ground or the 'Forest of Death'."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"The Second Phase of the Exams is a survival test as well as Battle Royale," Anko said. "And this Exam will cut the number of teams in half at least." She held up two scrolls; one with the kanji for Earth and the other with the kanji for heaven. "In order to pass, your team must have both scrolls and be in the tower at the center of the training ground by 3pm in five days time. You will all have to spend all five days in the training ground."

"What about food? How will we eat?" Choji asked.

"There's plenty of food in there," Anko said, pointing at the forest behind them.

"You will be considered food by some of the animals in there as well." finished Anko

There came a loud roar from the forest, sending chills up the spines of several Gennin.

"So, this is a search and recovery mission basically?" Tomoe asked. "Each team will have one of the scrolls and we have to get the other scroll that we don't have in order to pass."

"Looks like the Blondie figured it out," Anko said. A kunai came quickly speeding toward Tomoe; the blonde jumped as the Kunai made a slit in his cheek while Anko grabbed him from behind and started to lick the blood.

Tomoe jumped out of Anko's grasp and yelled," Hey, what's the big idea? Don't sneak up on me.

Anko felt a presence behind her and looked back.

"You might want to take the kid's advice and not try and sneak up behind me. I have an itchy trigger finger," Anko said.

"My apologies," a soft voice said. "I was just returning your kunai."

"Thank you Kusa-san," Anko said. Naruto narrowed his eyes in suspicion as he felt something off about the Kusa-nin but let it go. Naruto blankly listened to Anko explain the rules of the exam and robotically took the release form and signed it.

"Naruto, are you all right?" Yakumo asked as a Chunnin led Team 11 to their gate.

"Yeah, I'm fine Yakumo," Naruto said. "Just getting ready, this exam is about to get a whole lot of interesting."

There was a bell chime and the gate opened. Team 11 leapt into the forest and vanished into the trees.

"So what's the plan Naruto-san?" Shino asked.

"I shall try to find a team by using my sensor abilities. Once we find the scroll, we shall head straight to the tower without any delay. We will reach their quickly but the technique is special and I do not want anyone to know so please, don't tell anyone."

Turns out, finding an enemy team was not difficult. Naruto and his team soon encountered a team from Ame. They were wearing the signature Ame breathing masks and held the Ame Umbrella Swords. The leader, a boy with dark brown hair and pale skin mocked," Look at this, looks like our look is quite good that we encountered a team so early. And it is a team of foolish Konoha brats at that. This would be enjoyable."

Yakumo looked at the three Gennin with a blank face and spoke," Three Gennin level ninja from Ame. Usually Ame-nin specialize in Assassination and Genjutsu. They use umbrella swords for their Senbon Shower Jutsu. Most are weak with little chakra capacity."

One of the Ame-nin got angry with a tic-mark appearing on his brow and yelled," YOU BITCH! How dare you call us weak? We will defeat you easily and take your scroll from your cold, dead arms."

Naruto spoke in an impassive tone," You cannot defeat us. I can sense your Chakra and it is only low-Chunnin level. This amount is also disappearing rapidly, most likely due to Shino's kikachu bugs." At this, the Ame Gennin tried to feel their chakra to find about three fourth of their chakra missing. If this went on, they would soon become unconscious and suffer from Chakra exhaustion.

Shino nodded and explained," Naruto-san was able to see you before you saw us. He told me to subtly drain your Chakra until you confront us and rapidly drain it after confrontation; moreover, Yakumo trapped you in a Genjutsu that made you think that you came through thick foliage. Right now, you have about low-Gennin level of Chakra which will soon be eaten away before you could do anything."

The leader grew horrified at that and charged at the three Gennin, using the chakra he could muster to augment his movement and tried to slash at Shino with his umbrella sword. Before the sword could even touch the Gennin, Naruto appeared in front of the Gennin with his sword in the Shikai form, blocking the Umbrella Sword.

Naruto said," If I wanted, I could have defeated you on my own, but this exercise is an exercise for the team. They cannot depend on me to fight their battles. And they proved themselves by defeated you without my help. I am sure that Shino would have been able to dodge your movement, but it was my role in this plan that I had to protect them from any attacks. You were defeated because you underestimated your opponent."

The leader soon fell unconscious. Naruto and his teammates found the scroll they needed and decided to quickly move towards the Tower. As they tree-hopped to the Tower, Naruto felt the Chakra of Team 7 near a huge, vile source of Chakra. This stopped him in his tracks as Shino and Yakumo looked at him with confusion. Naruto said," Someone is attacking Team 7, and the attacker is way above Gennin-level. Their lives might be in danger."

Shino thought for a second before he replied," Go to them Naruto-san, we will move towards the Tower. Your siblings' life might be in danger, and I won't stop you from aiding them."

With a grateful nod, Naruto used his quickest technique Sonido to reach Team 7 quickly.

 **With Team 7**

Tomoe panted heavily as he looked at his foe standing in front of them with a creepy smirk on his face. He had always assumed that their team was strong. After all, his parents had trained him and his sister. Sasuke was specifically taught by Kakashi and they had been so sure of themselves when they entered the Chunnin Exams. When they had first encountered the Kunoichi, they were sure that they could beat her. Yet the strange Kunoichi was able to casually slap him around as if they were mere flies. Quickly beating them into ground, the Kusa Kunoichi sealed away Kyuubi's chakra with some seal. Tomoe was seriously regretting his lack of Fuinnjutsu knowledge. He saw as the Kunoichi moved towards Sasuke and Tomoe used the last of his chakra reserves to send a water jutsu at his foe which was all he could manage right now. However, his opponent took out a strange ninjato and cut straight through the water bullet that came his way.

"Kukuku... I was planning to kill you after I mark Sasuke-kun but apparently you are too much of a pest to simply ignore. So I will kill you first." hissed the strange Kunoichi as she approached him with her ninjato. Mito, who was a few feet away, watched the Kunoichi approach Tomoe with tears in her eyes. She felt so powerless at the moment and as she could do nothing to help her brother. Sasuke also watched the kunoichi approach Tomoe and he wanted to rip her apart. His time spent on Team 7 had given him a family of sorts and he felt useless that he could not protect his team. He always thought that being an Uchiha was an honor, Sharingan was the most powerful bloodline and he was the strongest Gennin in the village, yet he could only see that he had always been wrong. Uchiha was only a name, Sharingan was only a tool with which he was inexperienced and he was not strong enough to protect his surrogate family.

"Goodbye Namikaze Tomoe. You are a pest and it would benefit the world if I kill you now," spoke the Kunoichi in a clear tone as she raised her ninjato high in the air, maliciousness radiating from her eyes and brought it down. Tomoe resigned himself as his death seemed imminent and closed his eyes waiting for the sword to slice his neck.

CLANG.

The sound jarred Tomoe as he quickly opened his eyes to see the ninjato being blocked by a katana. At first he thought that her mother had come to save him but then he took a good look on the figure and the sword. The sword was unmistakably a katana but unlike his mother's, this katana had a dark blue rayskin covered with white cord instead of a red one covered in black cord. Then he saw the figure clearly. The completely black hakama and haori with the kanji for duty on his back, the deep red hair and crystal blue eyes, coupled with the intense expression, it was unmistakably his elder brother.

Naruto said," You won't kill anyone today, most certainly not these two children."

The kunoichi chuckled," The eldest Namikaze sibling comes to face me. Do you think that he can cross swords with me? Well, let's give you a look at your true opponent." The Kunoichi quickly placed a hand under her chin and ripped out the burnt skin to reveal a pale face and sickly yellow slit snake-like eyes with purple marks around them.

The figure chuckled again," I am Orochimaru of the Sannin, the strongest of the Sannin. Do you think a mere brat like you can defeat me? Run before I change my mind-" Orochimaru could not continue as he heard Naruto.

"Hiten Mitsurugi ryu: Ryutsuisen zan (Flying Heaven Govern Sword-Style: Dragon Mallet Flash Cut)"

Before Orochimaru could even move, he was cut in half. Both the halves looked surprised before dissolving into mud. Naruto simply looked up and saw Orochimaru standing on a tree. Orochimaru smirked, but on the inside, he was quite impressed. He did not start with the wish to learn every Ninjutsu in the world, but rather as a budding prodigy who found Ninjutsu and Kenjutsu interesting. He was quite passionate about Kenjutsu until his defeat by Hanzo and the death of his parents. This shifted his focus towards Kinjutsu, but he still practiced Kenjutsu and was one of the best Kenjutsu users who hailed from the leaf village. It was a good thing that he fought the boy with a Tsuchi Bunshin, or else he would be lying in two separate pieces on the forest floor. It was not easy to impress him with Kenjutsu, but Namikaze Naruto did so with just one strike. The speed at which the boy operated was unreal, the strike was so precise that the clone was cut without a delay or wasted movement. If possible, he would have loved to train the boy in Kendo because he seemed to favor Battoujutsu.

Orochimaru smirked at Naruto before he started to regurgitate his prized ninjato Kusanagi no Tsurugi. The blade was rumored to be so sharp that it was able to cut a single blade of grass that fell on its blade. The sword was covered in the most powerful snake venom from the Snake King Manda himself. Orochimaru was considered as the most capable swordsman during his time in Konoha.

"Kukuku, that was very impressive Naruto-kun, maybe you could entertain me a little before I give Sasuke-kun my mark. You should be honored to fight against a Sannin. Do you want to say something for yourself?" spoke Orochimaru.

Naruto looked at Orochimaru with a blank expression before raising his sword and saying," Cut with Judgment: Yamato."

Orochimaru watched in shock as the handle of the katana switched colors, the blade lengthened to the size of an o-katana and a faint blue glow covered the blade. Whatever the glow signified was something Orochimaru did not want to know. The only thing he knew was that the glow could spell something bad for him. Without giving the boy any chance, Orochimaru rushed at the boy and started to attack him with flexible and precise strikes. However he quickly found out his mistake.

The boy was agile, nimble and evasive when he defended with Kenjutsu. All the strikes were evaded and his sword blocked every attack. Orochimaru aimed the sword at Naruto and used Kusanagi's ability to increase its length. Naruto looked at Orochimaru and the next, the blade of Kusanagi lengthened and tried to impale him. Naruto spun and parried the sword before retaliating. After another clash, the two fighters separated. Naruto still had the blank expression while Orochimaru had a small smirk.

Suddenly, Naruto heard Yamato speak in his mind,' Naruto, use one of my abilities, till now; you have used the attacks you created yourself. Till now, you have never cut anyone before; however, this filthy human does not deserve the reverse-edge. This is the moment where I must cut. Use my power for it is also your power. Do not be afraid to cut for this is your samurai way. Protect the innocent of this world by slaying the evil in front of you. Use your Hanteigan and see his worth. You are not just a warrior, but also the judge.'

Naruto closed his eyes as Orochimaru looked curiously and said in a mocking tone," You should not close your eyes in front of dangerous enemies like me." With that, Orochimaru charged again. As the blade of Kusanagi neared Naruto, he raised his hand and blocked the blade without looking. Naruto slowly opened his eyes which were golden amber instead of the normal crystal blue. Orochimaru became curious,' Is it some new Dōjutsu? I wonder what it does.'

Naruto quickly moved back, sheathing his sword in a quick movement before taking a Battoujutsu stance. Orochimaru mocked," Battoujutsu again, you should have learned by now that I can dodge you." If Orochimaru had been paying attention, he would have heard the slight whisper," Judgment Cut: Yamato"

Naruto did not move his feet but quickly drew out his sword. Orochimaru would have mocked, if he had not been cut in half. Orochimaru looked down to see a large gash that had nearly bisected him. Without wasting time, he used the Skin Shedding Jutsu. Two hands came out of his mouth before a completely unharmed Orochimaru emerged from the shed skin.

Orochimaru was panting heavily. The attack was strange and it had taken a lot of Chakra to heal the wound and shed the skin. He looked at his opponent who simply looked at him with focused golden eyes. The haunting golden eyes seemed to be judging his soul for his crimes. He snapped out f his thoughts when Naruto spoke," Now you see the difference between us, Orochimaru of the Sannin. Your blade may be the sharpest blade around, but Yamato is the perfect sword. He would not cut anything that I do not want, but when he cuts, he can cut anything I want, even the fabric of space and time. Your malice and wickedness has dulled your blade. This is the reason why you can never defeat me. If you want to defeat me, then you have to gain true strength."

Orochimaru seethed, this brat had not only defeated him, but also humiliated him. He would show the damned brat what it is like to feel pain. Swallowing his sword, he started to weave hand seals before calling out," Katon: Gokkyaku no Jutsu (Fire Release: Grand Fireball Jutsu)" and released a massive fireball at Naruto.

Naruto looked at the fireball that was quickly approaching him. Cracking his neck, he moved his sword and the fireball got sliced in half. Without missing a beat, Orochimaru released his next attack," Fuuton: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough). Naruto was able to cut the Wind jutsu with ease. Seeing that elemental jutsu were getting him nowhere, Orochimaru used his signature technique," Many Hidden Shadow Snake Hands."

Thousands of snakes exited from Orochimaru's sleeves and tried to attack Naruto. Naruto sheathed his sword and took a Battoujutsu stance and called his next attack," Shingetsu Ryu Nishiki: Hyakka Midare Zakura (Heart Moon Style Second Ceremony: 100 Flower Storming Sakura)" The snakes were sliced before they could do anything.

Orochimaru was frustrated but became alarmed when he saw Naruto take another Battoujutsu stance. Quickly regurgitating his sword, Orochimaru got ready to block his enemy's sword.

Naruto moved quickly and struck Orochimaru who blocked the attack. Orochimaru decided to mock Naruto," Your Battoujutsu might be good, but you are still too young to take me on."

Naruto who was blank-faced for the whole fight smirked at that comment. He spoke," In that case, take a look at my sword, old man."

Orochimaru looked where his sword had blocked his opponent's when his eyes bugged out. Instead of a sword, sheathe had been used for the attack. Naruto smirked a little a yelled," Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu: Souryusen Ikatsuchi (Flying Heaven Govern Sword-Style: Paired Dragon Thunder Flash)

With a quick spinning movement in midair, Naruto was able to slice Orochimaru's arm. Orochimaru staggered back as he saw Naruto. He had been able to make Orochimaru of the Sannin shed his skin and even sliced one of his arms. He had to leave, or else he would not survive the encounter. Using a Shunshin no Jutsu (Body-Flicker Technique), Orochimaru escaped.

Naruto decided not to follow Orochimaru. Right now, the safety of Team 7 was more important. He quickly reached Team 7 with a Shunpo and looked at their injuries. They had many injuries and were suffering from Chakra exhaustion. Using a diagnosis jutsu, he was able to determine that despite being Orochimaru's target, Sasuke had the least injuries. Using Shosen no Jutsu (Mystical Palm Technique), he was able to mend the various cuts and bruises that littered the bodies of the three Gennin. The Kyuubi's chakra had been blocked by the Gogyo Fuinn which was the reason why his siblings did not heal at an accelerated pace. As Naruto healed the three Gennin, Sasuke looked at the older sibling of his teammates. Despite being older by only a few minutes, he was taller and more built that either Tomoe or Mito. Thinking back to the fight, he saw that despite being a Gennin, Naruto was evenly matched to a Sannin and defeated high powered Ninjutsu attacks by using Kenjutsu. The power held by Naruto awed him, while making him envious at the same time. This power could help him achieve his dream of killing Itachi and making peace with the demons of the past.

In a demanding tone Sasuke yelled," Naruto, give me your power."

Naruto simply started at the prone form of Sasuke, before snorting," I could not give you any power, even if I wanted to. How can I give something that I do not possess?"

Sasuke yelled," Do not lie Naruto. You possess unimaginable power. Our team, which is considered the strongest team among the Gennin of Konoha, could not even make the pale freak take us seriously, yet you were able to match him without getting a single injury. If that's not power, than what is."

Naruto shook his head in exasperation before explaining," The first thing you must understand is that Orochimaru was not going all out. He is the master of Kinjutsu yet he did not use any Kinjutsu. He was trying to stay in the shadows and could not use his more powerful techniques for the fear of detection. Secondly, power is nothing but an illusion created to trap weak-minded people. He attacked you and beat you to show you the difference in the power level. Then, he would say that you could only become strong through him and trap you in a vicious web of lies. That is the method by which he exploited many people. It is rightly said that he is a snake through and through. As for me matching up to him, that was not power as well."

Sasuke looked confused at that. How could something so overpowering not be power. Naruto saw the confusion on Sasuke's face and asked," Do you have any ninja tools with you?"

Sasuke replied," No, they were all exhausted in our battle against the snake."

Naruto reached inside his haori before taking out a curved dagger. It had a white handle and a shiny silver blade. Handing it to Sasuke Naruto spoke," Right now, you are the least injured person on this team. You will have to protect your teammates until then. Use this dagger for the purpose and use the time to think. And when you meet me again at the Tower, you will have to tell me the exactly what power is. This would be enlightening for you. "

Sasuke simply started t the silver dagger. As he looked up, he found that Naruto was gone. He quickly gathered the unconscious forms of his teammates, the words of Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto still ringing in his head.

Naruto spread his chakra sense and quickly located his teammates and used Shunpo to reach them. Suddenly appearing in front of his teammates during a life-threatening exam however, was a wrong idea as Yakumo launched explosive kunai at him with a startled scream. Dodging the kunai, Naruto spoke," Calm down Yakumo-san, it's just me."

Yakumo breathed a sigh of relief but Shino was still suspicious, and decided to test Naruto.

Shino asked with suspicion," What was the name of Tazuna's grandson?"

Naruto sighed and said," His name was Inari. Now, we have the scrolls and we need to leave this area as soon as possible. The Tower is in the east and we can rest there. At full speed, we will be able to reach the tower in an hour."

Shino and Yakumo nodded and Team 11 ran towards the tower intent on finishing the exam as soon as possible.

 **At the Tower**

The Gennin of Team 11 quickly reached the Tower and found themselves in an empty room with only a picture showing the union of heaven and earth.

Yakumo spoke," Now, what are we supposed to do?"

Naruto and Shino were studying the painting before Naruto spoke," We must open the scrolls now. This painting tells us about the union of earth and heaven. The tree can only reach the heaven if it remains grounded to the earth. Similarly, we can only become strong and grow when we remain attached to our village. I have read that the Shodaime usually compared the village to a tree."

After the decision was made, Naruto and Yakumo opened the scrolls, which started to smoke. Naruto recognized the seal on the scrolls as a summoning seal and yelled," Throw the scrolls and move back."

The scroll continued to smoke and as the smoke dissipated, they found their Academy Instructor Umino Iruka was standing in front of them.

Iruka said," Congratulations Team 11, you have passed the second stage of Chunnin Exams. You are the second team to arrive after the Sand-Siblings. I would recommend that you rest a little. You might not be much tired put the forest is an unforgiving place and usually takes its toll on everyone, even the ones with the most endurance."

Naruto bowed a little and started going to the room assigned to his team.

 **AN- Thank you for your reviews, they are much appreciated.**

 **AN2- The update had been slow but now, the updates would be a little faster.**

 **AN3- I am not bashing any character. Sasuke can be put on the right path if he receives proper advice, counseling and someone who listens to his hope and dreams. This is the reason why I made the fight with Orochimaru in this manner. While Sasuke would not play a major role in Naruto's adventures, but he will have a major role in Konoha.**

 **AN4- Next Chapter- The Preliminaries. Please Review  
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